SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Democratic delegate Jenny Wilson confirmed that former President Bill Clinton will visit the Beehive State Aug. 11 to campaign for his wife, Hillary.
No word yet on a venue or what he’ll say, but his upcoming presence in Utah speaks volumes.
“Winning Utah's six electoral votes is the priority,” said Tim Chambless, spokesman for the Hinkley Institute of Politics. “I would suspect that Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine will run a 50-state race and the District of Columbia -- they will visit every state.”
Utah Policy’s most recent poll put Hillary Clinton’s rival, Donald Trump, just nine percent ahead.
Bernie Sanders carried Utah on the Democratic side, but Bill Clinton could persuade those voters and possibly some Republicans disgruntled with Trump to swing Hillary’s way.
“Bill Clinton is someone who can almost be mesmerizing giving a speech,” Chambless said. “I’ve seen him give speeches over an hour long -- no notes. And when he speaks those individuals feel like they’re the only ones in the universe with him.”
Chambless said Bill Clinton will likely take a different approach than former GOP candidate Mitt Romney in promoting Hillary's policy positions.
“Voters want to know the human side of their presidents,” he said. “With regard to 2012 mitt Romney probably unnecessarily kept a distance with him and his family in terms of the public awareness maybe to protect their privacy.”
Chambless thinks Bill Clinton will probably speak in a “much more intimate way with regard to Hillary.”
