We're in the midst of the election season in Utah.  Our candidates in Utah County are walking door to door, speaking at meet the candidate nights, posting lawn and yard signs (as well as billboards), addressing civic groups, and on an on. For the first time in a long time, you're seeing Democratic candidates across the county wage competitive battles for legislative seats.

The contact they make with voters is extremely important. Not only do we have well qualified, well respected candidates, but they’re reaching out to voters in a way that Republicans never do. They're talking to them one by one. One state senator who has run several successful campaigns in predominantly Republican districts told me that 'the difference will be made AT THE DOOR.'

Our candidates are connecting with Democrats, unaffiliateds, and even Republicans. A Republican friend of mine, who is very close to Mike Leavitt and Norm Bangerter said in an email that he 'was floored by the quality of the candidates recruited.' He called our candidates 'the best slate in over 30 years.' He also lamented the extremism of the Utah Republican party. He noted:  'Sadly, the Utah GOP simply has no center left. You know you have left planet Earth when so many Republican delegates think Hatch and Bennett are leftists.'

We are the mainstream party in Utah County. We represent the values of Utah County voters. We're pro-public education.  We’re real fiscal conservatives. We believe government needs to regulate business to avoid the kind of economic melt-down the Bush administration has helped cause. We want a humane and just immigration system. We value the sanctity of life and marriage. We want transportation options that improve our quality of life and our environment.

Voters are getting that message. Our research indicates that our candidates are very competitive. We have a real good chance in several of these races and a good chance in others. We’re running serious races where voters have real options.

Yet, I worry. I'm going to be blunt. I see two problems. One is there are still many Democrats who don't realize what has happened and have not become involved. If you are reading this and are not actively assisting a candidate or the party, please get out there and help.

If you’re not sure who to work for or what you can do, let me suggest some simple things:

1. Put out a lawn sign for your legislative candidate. Candidates have lawn signs now and you should get one.  Understandably, many Democrats want an Obama sign. But a sign for your legislative candidate might make a difference in the election. An Obama sign won't. Obama isn’t going to win Utah County or Utah. But your legislative candidate can win and you can help elect a Democrat locally.
   
2. Talk to your neighbors about your legislative candidate. Help create a buzz.  Republicans do this all the time.  Democrats can, too.
   
3. Volunteer to walk with your legislative candidate. Give them some help in your neighborhood.
   
4. Volunteer to help get out the vote near election day.
   
5. Volunteer to be a poll watcher on election day.
   
6. Write a letter to the editor or post comments on news media sites after news stories. Use this opportunity to praise our candidates and talk about how the party reflects the values of Utah County voters.
   

The other problem is straight party voting.  Talk to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to think about the candidates. The First Presidency of the LDS Church has put out a statement urging voters to be careful and thoughtful about the candidates they vote for. Remind your friends and neighbors about that counsel.  The Church isn't urging mindless straight party voting. In fact, they are encouraging the opposite.

We’re living in (and creating) great times for Democrats in Utah County. Help make a difference this year.

Those in attendance at the Kurt Bestor benefit concert for Utah County Democratic candidates on Friday, August 23, were treated to a beautiful selection of moving compositions reflecting Bestor's deepest feelings for family--his parents, his children, his extended family, and the whole family of mankind.

Bestor is an Emmy-award winning composer whose works have been featured in more than 30 film scores and more than 40 themes for national TV programs and commercials. His music has introduced Good Morning America, NFL Monday Night Football, and ABC's Sunday Night Movie. He was awarded an Emmy for his collaboration with Sam Cardon on the original music for ABC's coverage of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

At the concert, performed in the intimate Centre Stage theater at UVU to an audience of about 130, Bestor shared stories about how he acquired his passion for music. He told how his mother inspired him with a love for composition at a young age by asking him to play for her "what a sunrise sounds like." The experience gave him an immediate fascination with the ability to describe visual imagery through music, and an outlet through which he could express himself.

He performed several numbers inspired by his love for nature, including "Fishing the Sky," "New England Air," and "Fire on Ice." He also played some pieces in tribute to his family, including one celebrating the life of his grandmother, and another dedicated to his father, who, with his mother, was in attendance at the concert.

Bestor explained that his concern for the well-being of families has grown beyond his own family to encompass the entire family of the human race, especially children. His feelings for the children of war-torn Yugoslavia inspired his famous "Prayer of the Children," which he also performed at the concert. Bestor plays an active role in several organizations for children, including Primary Children's Medical Center, Children's Miracle Network, and the Make a Wish Foundation. He is a National Advisor for ASCEND, A Humanitarian Alliance, which provides sustainable development programs for children living in poverty in Africa and Latin America. Bestor interacted with children in the audience and delighted them with a medley of popular patriotic tunes.