SALT LAKE CITY — For the second day in a row, the race between GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and his Democratic challenger, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, focused on religion.
Corroon's running mate, Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, criticized the governor Friday for saying the Democrats' call for increased high school graduation requirements was a threat to Mormon seminary classes.
"It's unfortunate that a religious wedge has been interjected by Gary Herbert because the discussion is about the future of our children and preparing them for the 21st century," Allen said.
She said "bewilderment" was her reaction to Herbert's statements this week about the Corroon campaign's new plan to improve public schools.
Herbert's initial response to the plan released Monday was to call Corroon "hypocritical" for sending his children to a private, Catholic school while claiming support for public education.
And Thursday, the governor warned that Utah students would be forced to give up elective arts classes and release time to attend religious instruction in the LDS Church if an additional year each of math and science were required as proposed by Corroon.
Corroon has already responded to both issues, calling it "unconscionable" to bring a candidate's children into the debate and saying he hoped the governor, who is LDS, wasn't playing the "religious race card."
Allen said the campaign had heard from a number of Utahns who agreed with the need to boost graduation requirements as well as some who were unhappy with what they heard from Herbert.
"A few people certainly came to that conclusion," she said when asked if they expressed concern about the governor bringing religion into the discussion.
"I don't think the religion of our governor should affect the decision that people make on who they vote for," Allen said, noting the state has had governors who were not Mormon. "I would hope the public would always focus on who's going to provide the best leadership."
Herbert's campaign spokesman, Don Olsen, said again Friday the governor was not attempting to make the faith of the candidates an issue.
"It's the Corroon campaign that's calling the press conferences. It's the Corroon campaign that's bringing up religion," Olsen said. "We have never, ever said that Peter Corroon is a Catholic. That is not the issue."
The focus of the campaign, Olsen said, should be on education. "If they want to continue to stir this up and make this a religious issue, that's their right. We're not doing it."
Allen, a longtime educator, took issue with Herbert's statement that tougher graduation requirements would leave no time to take seminary classes taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She said students would still have plenty of opportunity to take release time for seminary classes even if the number of elective credits needed for graduation dropped from six to four.
Allen also said that while the Corroon campaign was not advocating that seminary classes be held before or after school, as is done in most other states, such a schedule could be an option for some students.
"I'm a lifelong Republican and an active member of the LDS faith. I have attended seminary," Allen said, as did her children. But, she said, "we concentrated on preparing for the future and good jobs."
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