This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Chris Stewart, one of the gaggle of Republicans running for the open 2nd Congressional District seat, is basing his campaign on an ideology that blends Mormon sensibilities and good government.
He recently sent delegates his book, Seven Miracles That Saved America, which was endorsed by conservative Mormon radio talk-show host Glenn Beck.
That's funny, and here's why.
Chris Stewart is the brother of Tim Stewart, Washington lobbyist and longtime aide to former Sen. Bob Bennett who is credited with masterminding the infamous "Temple Mailer" during Bennett's re-election attempt two years ago that Mike Lee eventually won.
The mailer, from a group calling itself Utah Defenders of Constitutional Integrity, pictured Lee in front of an LDS temple and Bennett in front of the U.S. Capitol. Below, it asked, "Which candidate really has Utah values?"
The ad hurt Lee at the convention because some delegates were offended at the use of the church in a political smear.
Now, Tim Stewart's brother, Chris, is playing the religion card that his brother hoped to use to make Lee look like a fanatic. And while the Lee campaign considered Tim Stewart a pariah for what he did at the time, the Lee and Stewart camps now seem to be in sync.
Beck was an adamant Lee supporter two years ago. He is an adamant Stewart supporter now. At least two former campaign workers for Mike Lee have jumped onto the Chris Stewart bandwagon and two of Lee's federal employees are helping on the Stewart campaign.
Also, during the Republican primary two years ago, Lee attacked his opponent Tim Bridgewater, because Bridgewater consulted for Raser, a company that received stimulus money.
But Chris Stewart is the CEO of the Shipley Group, which consults government agencies on navigating through government regulations in the energy sector. Shipley received $35,000 in stimulus funds. Tim, the old pariah of the Lee campaign, is a lobbyist for the Shipley Group.
So just what have they been spiking that tea with lately?
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Et tu, Brute? • When Liz Muniz asked Democratic Rep. Neal Hendrickson to nominate her to be a delegate at their precinct caucus meeting in their West Valley City neighborhood earlier this month, he was glad to comply. He also voted for her husband, Louie Muniz, and they were both elected as delegates.
Now, they will be two delegate votes against Hendrickson in the Democratic Convention.
After Liz Muniz was elected as a delegate, thanks to the help of Hendrickson, she filed to run against him in his legislative race.
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Voter suppression in Provo • When several Brigham Young University students went to their Republican caucus in Provo's Precinct 3 on March 15, they attempted to register as Republicans so they could participate and vote for delegates and precinct leaders.
The woman signing them in, however, tried to discourage them from registering.
She told them that, if they registered, their parents would no longer be able to claim them as dependents on their income tax returns. One student was told he would forfeit his Pell Grant.
They ignored the warnings and registered anyway.
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A long week? • Friday night, patrons watching "The Hunger Games" at the Redwood Drive-In Theatre, noticed something wrong about a third of the way through the movie.
After several complained at the concession stand, employees realized they inserted the third reel instead of the second. An announcement was made that if patrons stayed after the conclusion of the movie, they would run it again, but this time with the whole movie.
Once it ended, folks waited in their cars for more than a half hour before it started again — beginning with the second reel. The patrons didn't get home until after midnight.