Republican Salt Lake County Council candidate Aimee Winder Newton is ripping a page out of the Ben McAdams playbook…reaching out to voters from the other party.
Newton has launched a Facebook page titled “Democrats for Aimee” in order connect with her Democratic supporters online. Asked if she was purposely aping McAdams strategy, Newton did not try to dodge the question.
“You betcha!” she said. “Ben is a great example of reaching across party lines.”
Newton admits attracting crossover voters is not a major part of her campaign strategy, but she favors a bi-partisan approach.
“My district is very Republican but, no matter the party, people have good ideas. I get tired of Washington gridlock. The luxury of a county council seat is our issues aren’t very partisan.”
Newton says she hasn’t scored any big Democratic endorsements so far, but a number of prominent Democrats have agreed to stay neutral in her race against former Murray Mayor Dan Snarr.Â
“I’m grateful for that and appreciate their willingness to not get involved in my race.”
Newton’s Facebook page only has a handful of “likes” so far, but she says that really isn’t the point.
“I wish I had an orange bus like Ben McAdams. I don’t think people who support me want to sit in the back of a milk truck. I have a lot of friends who are Democrats who support me.”
