Political Science Commons^™

The Matheson Coalition, Becky Snow

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

In political circl~, the State of Utah is often referred to as a "hive of conservatism." Several factors seem to indicate that this reputation is well deserved. For example, recent survey data indicate that 54 percent of the voters in the state identify themselves as either strong, not so strong, or leaning Republicans--this is far above the national average of 23 percent Republican identifiers as estimated by Gallup opinion polls. Also, many political observers feel that Utah's all Republican Washington delegation currently constitutes the most conservative team in Congress. Additionally, in the Presidential Election of 1980, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic …