TAMPA (ABC 4 News) - When Utah delegates to the Republican National Convention talk about Mitt Romney, many use the phrase, "He is one of us."
But don't jump to religious conclusions here.
These delegates are talking about many things.
First, they are talking about Romney's deep Utah roots.
Representative Jason Chaffetz told us, “I didn’t think so quickly we would have a BYU graduate running to be the President of the United States. That's amazing."
But delegates also say he's "one of us" because he ran Salt Lake's Olympics.
Republican National Committeewoman Enid Greene Mickelsen also says Romney has a special place in the hearts of Utah delegates because he is family.
“There are a lot of family ties among the Utah delegation to the Romney family. So, it is kind of like a family event.”
And, yes, finally, some Utah delegates say Mitt Romney is special to Utah because he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Alternate delegate Stan Lockhart told ABC 4 a Romney presidency might help bring to an end a history of persecution, "It just means that my children and grandchildren may not have to put up with some of those underlying biases that otherwise might have taken place in my generation."
This may explain why several delegates told us they expect Romney's convention speech Thursday to be a highly emotional event.
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