Bennion Spencer

Infobox Person
name = Bennion Spencer
birth_name =
birth_date = October 26, 1952
birth_place =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for = Democratic nominee for the Utah's 3rd congressional district
occupation = Politician
nationality = American
spouse =
alma_mater = Weber State University, Utah State University
party = Democratic
religion = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
website = [http://www.bennionspencerforcongress.com/ Campaign website]

Bennion Lloyd Spencer (born October 26, 1952) is the 2008 Democratic candidate for Utah's 3rd congressional district running against Republican Jason Chaffetz.

Biographical background

A native of Layton, Utah, Spencer served a two-year mission for the LDS Church in England and Wales. In 1976, he received a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Communications from Weber State College. After five years as a reporter, he completed a Master of Science in International Relations from Utah State University in 1985.cite web|title=Biography|work=Bennion L. Spencer (UT)|publisher=Project Vote Smart|url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=50724|accessdate=2008-07-09]

Spencer spent 25 years as a journalist in both Texas and Utah. In Salt Lake City, he was a television news reporter at KTVX, from 1980-1985. He then became news producer at KSL-TV from 1985-1996. Moving to Beaumont, Texas, he was TV news director at KBMT from 1996-1998.

Spencer has also been an instructor at Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley State College and Neumont University. While at Salt Lake Community College, he developed a broadcast journalism program for Spanish-speaking students. Spencer was also faculty advisor for Operation Smile at Utah Valley State College. [cite web|title=Operation Smile|publisher=Utah Valley University|url=http://www.uvsc.edu/clubs/clubinfo.cfm?id=78|accessdate=2008-07-09]

In 2007, he helped Dick Nourse, former KSL anchor and colleague, establish the Dick Nourse Center for Mass Communications and Journalism at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah.

A resident of Riverton, Utah, Spencer ran for Utah State Senate District 5 in 2000, and again in 2002 for District 11, but lost both times.

2008 campaign

In May 2008 at Utah's State Democratic Convention, Spencer's associate Dick Nourse nominated and endorsed Spencer for Utah's 3rd Congressional District [cite web|title=Dick Nourse, Graybeard|author=Mullen, Holly|publisher=Salt Lake City Weekly|work=Salt Blog: The Daily Feed From City Weekly|url=http://cityweekly.blogspot.com/2008/05/dick-nourse-graybeard.html|accessdate=2008-07-09] , in which he was unopposed.cite news|title=Utah GOP Rep. Cannon Defeated in Primary|author=Teitelbaum, Michael|publisher=CQ Politics|work=CQ Today Online News|date=June 25, 2008|url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002904749&cpage=2|accessdate=2008-07-09] Spencer is considered a long shot since the 3rd district votes heavily Republican and he wont be opposing unpopular incumbent Chris Cannon, who lost in the primary to newcomer Jason Chaffetz.

In August 2008, Bennion received international press [cite news|title=Gdyby Jezus żył, głosowałby na mnie|author=Wawrzyn, Marta|work=Pardon|date=August 17, 2008|url=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/4-0&fp=48ae94cb32e819d0&ei=rFiuSLmUOonmggOj3ozsAg&url=http%3A//www.pardon.pl/artykul/5915/gdyby_jezus_zyl_glosowalby_na_mnie&cid=0&usg=AFQjCNGdSYIw8wYQ08P_VXUtz9OFdVSV0g|accessdate=2008-08-22] , starting with the "Salt Lake Tribune"cite news|author=Gehrke, Robert|title=How would Jesus vote? Candidate thinks he knows|work=Salt Lake Tribune|date=August 15, 2008|url=http://www.sltrib.com/Salt%20Lake%20Tribune%20Home%20Page/ci_10207723|accessdate=2008-08-22] , for commenting to the "Tribune" that Jesus would vote for him.

If Bennion Spencer wasn't the Democratic candidate in Utah's 3rd Congressional District, he'd be working on publishing a book he wrote about how Jesus might vote -- and he recently said he thinks the son of God would vote for him. "I think he would," Spencer told The Tribune, although he later backed away and said he couldn't say for sure how Jesus would vote.

Notes

ources

*Citation
title = Meet Bennion Spencer, candidate for Utah's 3rd Congressional District
publisher = The Utah Amicus
date = April 07, 2008
year = 2008
url = http://utahamicus.blogspot.com/2008/04/meet-bennion-spencer.html
accessdate = 2008-07-09
*Citation
last = Bernick
first = Bob, Jr.
title = Riverton professor to seek 3rd District seat as a Demo
publisher = Deseret News
date = March 18, 2008
year = 2008
url = http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695262377,00.html
accessdate = 2008-07-09

External Links

* [http://www.bennionspencerforcongress.com/ 2008 Congressional campaign site]