Half of the Republican candidates in the 3rd Congressional District are accusing another candidate of trying to inject the LDS Church into the race.
Chris Cannon, Stephen Standstrom and Parley Hellewell issued a joint statement Tuesday calling the Tom Draschil campaign irresponsible. Cannon's campaign initiated the statement.Draschil mailed invitations to GOP state delegates last week asking them to attend an April 23 fund-raising reception and dinner featuring Elder Hartman Rector Jr., an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Rector's title and the church's name are prominently displayed.
"As active members of the LDS faith, we are disappointed by this attempt to use the LDS Church for the wrongful purposes of garnering votes and raising money and call for the Draschil campaign to apologize for this unfortunate incident," the statement reads.
Cherilyn Gulbrandsen, Draschil's campaign manager, said the campaign doesn't intend to apologize. Elder Rector, she said, is the one who deserves an apology from those who made it an issue. The retired LDS Church general authority didn't mind being identified with the church on the invitation, she said. Elder Rector still plans to attend the event next Tuesday, Gulbrandsen said.
"I think this is all kind of silly really. Only in Utah. If we'd have invited the pope, what would they have said about that?" Gulbrandsen said.
Says Cannon, "Pope John Paul has no influence in Utah."
Cannon said he and the others found the invitations regrettable. "The short of it is everyone was incensed," he said.
The three candidates said it appears the invitations were sent to imply that the "LDS Church looks upon Mr. Draschil's candidacy with favor."
In fact, the LDS Church reiterates each election year that it does not endorse candidates and takes a politically neutral stance.
"They'll do anything to discredit him. I think this is a pretty cheap shot," Gulbrandsen said.
Draschil was out of town and unavailable for comment.
Gulbrandsen said Cannon expects with "all his money" to win the GOP nomination at next month's convention without a primary election and perceives Draschil as a threat.
Cannon said people can compare his background and experience to Draschil's and decide who's the better candidate. But "I don't see much of a reason for a primary," he said.
That Draschil's invitations violated the LDS Church's neutrality as the three candidates assert is arguable. Truth is, most candidates in Utah, the majority of whom are LDS, find subtle if not obvious ways to insert their religious affiliation into campaigns.
Cannon, Hellewell and Sand-strom identified themselves as "active members of the LDS faith" in their news release criticizing Draschil.
"I think people want to vote for people with some religious values," Sandstrom said.
In a time line in one of his brochures, Cannon lists his 1969 LDS Church mission to Guatemala, yet leaves out when he graduated from college and law school.
Hellewell, a strong supporter of prayer in schools, kicked off his congressional campaign with an LDS prayer at Orem High School. He mentions an LDS mission to Germany in campaign literature.
Hellewell said the three campaigns debated whether to make an issue of Draschil's invitations. He said he was initially against it because he thought it would give Draschil more publicity. But, Hellewell said, he found the invitation to be in "poor taste."
GOP hopefuls Bruce Blosil and Jay Liecthy were asked to be part of the joint statement but declined.