This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Boston • As expected, Mitt Romney has won Utah's six electoral college voters with what is likely to be a landslide vote over President Barack Obama.
Romney struggled nationally, but Utah — which hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 — may be offering the Republican presidential candidate his largest win of any state.
Some 60 percent of Utahns share Romney's Mormon faith and he became an adopted favorite son after leading the successful 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Democrats in the state didn't blush at the Romney victory in the Beehive State.
"Mitt Romney is part of the clan," said Utah Democratic Party Chairman Jim Dabakis. "He's part of our tribe and part of our community. This is a magic moment for Utah. ... Utahns feel the same way that African Americans felt in 2008."
At Romney's election night headquarters in Boston, his fans watched as many of the key swing states fell Obama's way, putting a damper on the celebratory mood and quieting the cheers that erupted when early states were called for Romney.
Aaron Falk contributed to this report.