Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic National Chairman Tom Perez will be visiting Utah this Friday in a series of state visits to garner support for the party.
As a part of their "Come Together and Fight Back Tour," Sen. Sanders and Chairman Perez will stop in several states, including many conservative ones such as Arizona, Montana and Utah, to tap into the swell of Democratic grassroots support following the 2016 presidential election.
Danny Beus, chair of the Cache County Democrats, said local Democrats still favor Sanders.
"A lot of people are upset," he said. "They're disappointed in the election results and I think Senator Sanders puts people over politics. He's not worried about fundraising, and he’s not worried about big donations and corporate sponsorships; he cares about people. And I think that’s where Utahns -- especially in Cache Valley, he had overwhelming support here, and I think it’s because they trust him."
Perez claimed that the Democratic Party is shifting its focus to give Democrats in red states a voice.
"I think Democrats are at our best when we are united, when we put those values into action and when we tap into this grassroots energy that’s really unprecedented in my lifetime. And we need to have a 50-state plus all the territories strategy. Democrats all-too-frequently were not speaking to everyone everywhere; that’s what we’re doing this week," he said.
Despite beating Sen. Sanders' endorsement for chair of the DNC, Keith Ellison, Beus stated Democrats are still ready to unite behind the party.
"Democrats in the valley are progressive and they are pro-Sanders. But there are no internal divisions. There is no real unhappiness with Tom Perez being elected as DNC chair. As a county, we hope to move forward and I think you’ll see some good things from the Cache Democrats in the coming years."
