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Mormon's patriotism. Ryan for Love. Romney likely to lose his three home states (other than Utah).

Happy Wednesday. Do Mormons have an extra dose of patriotism? Sen. Mike Lee says so. In a sit down with the Washington Examiner's editorial board, the Utah Republican and Mormon says that Mormon's have a heightened belief in "American exceptionalism" since the religion was founded in America and hold that the country was "brought about by the grace of God." [WashExaminer]

Topping the news: As the new head of the Western Governor's Association, Gov. Gary Herbert says energy development is what makes the West No. 1 and makes it the top agenda item. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Conservative GOP superstar Paul Ryan will drop into Utah for a fund-raiser for congressional candidate Mia Love. [UtahPolicy]

-> Romney's three "homes" of Massachusetts, California and Michigan aren't likely to be in his corner this fall (of course, his other "home" of Utah, is an absolute lock). [DailyBeast]

-> A New York Times contributor says he's a Mormon but he's not a Christian. Yes, that's what he said. [NYTimes]

Tweet of the day: From @BenMcAdams: "Life as a candidate means going to 3 different dinner events then arriving home hungry and eating a bowl of cold cereal for dinner."

Happy birthday: To state Rep. Jennifer Seelig. (And a quick apology to Elisabeth Jessop, whose birthday was yesterday and our bad gift was a misspelled name.)

Congrats: To Quin Monson, who was named the director of BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. Monson replaces Kelly Patterson, who has been appointed associate dean of the College of Family Home and Social Sciences. [BYU]

Spotted: ABC4's Chris Vanocur at the National Press Club with his pa, Sander Vanocur, who was inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame of the D.C. Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Outside money: Spending by super PACs in Utah's Senate race has been slow, but there are signs it could speed up in a hurry. Freedom Path, which is supporting Sen. Orrin Hatch, just spent $60,000 on an TV spot hitting Dan Liljenquist for missing votes in the state Senate. [FreedomPath] This comes just days after FreedomWorks, a tea party group, spent $62,900 on calls criticizing Hatch.

In other news: With little to no enforcement of Utah and other state's anti-idling laws, how will environmentalists change driver's behavior to turn the engine off? [AP]

-> Utah will now force businesses that consult on immigration issues to register with the state to cut down on some unscrupulous behavior. [Trib]

-> Salt Lake County citizens will vote on whether or not to elevate Millcreek to a city. [Trib]

-> The Salt Lake County clerk determines that county mayoral candidate Mike Winder did not break campaign finance laws. Now the focus is on his opponent, Mark Crockett. [Trib]

-> Paul Rolly says Carl Wimmer is playing himself as a victim of the media, failing to mention the press releases and press conferences he issued that kept them up to date. [Trib]

-> Tickets to see Vice President Joe Biden during his trip to Utah will cost ya $500. [Trib]

-> Sen. Orrin Hatch and nine other senators file a brief to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. [DNews]

-> Utah's branch of the ACLU steps into the debate of keeping a children's book depicting same-sex parents out of the hands of students. They say the First Amendment trumps Davis School District's claims. [Trib] [StandardEx]

-> Draper City drops a ballot bond plan to pay for a new recreation center that businesses say hurts them. However, the plan to build the center isn't scrapped. [KUTV]

-> Pat Bagley's take on the Springdale Police's tactics on fining foreign visitors. [Trib]

2012 watch: Marriott International, on whose board Romney previously sat, markets to LGBT couples, offering a difficult spot for the presidential candidate who counts the company's owner as a top donor. [BuzzFeed]

-> Could picking Marco Rubio as a vice presidential candidate be an insult to Hispanics? [CNN]

-> How the west was lost: Donors from Western states who gave to the President Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 are more hesitant to join in this time around. [BuzzFeed]

-> Romney said in 2008 that he wouldn't take the $400,000-a-year paycheck if elected president, but he's not saying now whether he'll accept it or not if he gets there now. [ABCNews]

-> One of Romney's top advisers is Spencer Zwick, a Utahn often referred to as Romney's "sixth son." [BusinessWeek]

-> Mitt Romney is for sale. Well, at least a toy replica of him is on eBay. [YahooNews]

-> With Romney as their clear candidate, GOP evangelicals and baptists are less willing to call Mormonism a cult and more willing to call him Mr. President. [APviaTrib]

-> Romney and Obama trade blows on "out-of-context" attacks. [CNN]

-> House Speaker John Boehner will appear with Romney on the campaign trail. [WaPost]

-> Obama says that most Americans aren't following the race because they are confident the economy is going in the right direction. [Politico][FoxNews]

-> Romney takes questions at the Business Roundtable, 100 CEOs of major corporations meeting in Washington. They want to know what would change if he were to be elected. [Politico]

Where are they?

Sen. Orrin Hatch meets with Utah History Fair students, heads to a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing and then goes to Republican Steering Committee.

Gov. Gary Herbert is in Washington to meet with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue to discuss economic development and job growth and later holds a news conference there with fellow governors.

Lt. Gov. Greg Bell visits the Mount Benedict Monastery.

AG Mark Shurtleff flies to Nashville, Tenn. for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

WVC Mayor Mike Winder speaks at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.

President Barack Obama meets with President Shimon Peres of Israel in the Oval Office. The president later attends a campaign event in Washington, after which he will award Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a dinner at the White House.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com.

— Thomas Burr and Andreas RiveraTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/andreascrivera