This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the national media focuses on Donald Trump's troubles in Utah, the campaign has scheduled a pair of events in September, looking to shore up support and lock down the conservative bastion.
Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will be in Utah on Sept. 1, appearing at Sen. Mike Lee's Third Annual Work Force Solutions Summit, where the Indiana governor will appear alongside the senator who, thus far, has not endorsed Trump.
And later in the month, Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., will be in town for a public town-hall meeting and fundraiser, according to Don Peay, a Utah supporter and friend of the Trump family. Peay said the date is still being nailed down, but it will be mid- to late-September.
Peay said he's confident that, when Utahns understand the gravity of the upcoming election and get to see the quality of the Trump family, they will come around to support the nominee.
"Clearly the election is about major policy issues and you couldn't have starker differences," Peay said. "At the end of the day, Utah is going to come down on policy. And Utah is a family-oriented state and the Trump family is a very solid family."
"As Utahns really get to see this family, what their character is and their work ethic … it's totally different than the persona created by the national media," Peay said.
Pence's visit, while technically not a campaign event, will mark the first foray by the GOP ticket into the state since Trump clinched the nomination in June.
While Trump has struggled to gain traction in Utah, Pence is much more popular, according to a recent UtahPolicy.com poll. Fifty-six percent of all Utah voters strongly or somewhat support the selection of Pence as vice presidential candidate, as do 77 percent of Republican voters, the poll found.
It was the selection of Pence that finally prompted Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who had been withholding his support from Trump, to endorse the ticket.
"I'm voting for Mike Pence," Herbert has said on several occasions.
But the Pence pick has not been well-received in some quarters, particularly advocates for women's and gay rights. They have criticized his tenure in Indiana as being one of the most hostile in the nation to their respective causes.
Carly Fiorina, who is the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, a Republican presidential candidate and briefly the vice presidential running mate for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, will also speak at the Lee event.
"Students, employees, businesses and higher-education institutions are all searching for new ways to better serve each others' needs and interests," Lee said in a statement. "Governors Herbert and Pence have each done excellent work in their states creating a policy environment that facilitates these relationships. Carly Fiorina's firsthand experience from the business side will also be an invaluable addition to our discussion."
The event will be held at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in downtown Salt Lake City. There has not been any other campaign event announced accompanying Pence's visit. The summit will focus on disruptive technologies and how they can help create a productive workforce.
Other speakers will include World Trade Center President and CEO Derek Miller, Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie, and Utah Manufacturers Association President Todd Bingham.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke