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Democrats have repeatedly called for creating a new U.S. House district that is totally within Democratic Salt Lake County, known as a "doughnut hole" plan. GOP Senate President Michael Waddoups offered such a plan Wednesday — but he made his doughnut hole Republican-flavored.

His plan would center its one all-Salt Lake County district in the valley's southern end around growing, Republican areas such as Herriman and South Jordan, avoiding most Democratic strongholds.

Democratic areas such as Salt Lake City and West Valley City would be put into a different district along with most of western, rural Utah — stretching from Tooele to St. George to Moab. Those rural areas are largely Republican, and could neutralize Democratic votes in Salt Lake County.

"I'm just responding to public demand" for a doughnut hole, a smiling Waddoups said to The Salt Lake Tribune, before he presented his GOP doughnut hole plan to a public hearing of the Legislature's Redistricting Committee at a packed Salt Lake City Main Library auditorium.

Previously, Republicans had made several proposals to divide Salt Lake County into four slices, one in each new congressional district paired with rural areas. They said it would ensure members of Congress worry about rural and urban issues. But Democrats charged that was an attempt to dilute their votes in Salt Lake County, and make it more difficult to re-elect Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson.

Democrats argued that keeping as much of Salt Lake County together as possible would protect it as a community of interest. Several good-government groups agreed, and RepresentMeUtah! was even passing out doughnut holes before the hearing Wednesday to support that idea.

"I originally went on record saying I would like a piece of rural in each district. But as we've gone around the state, quite a few people have indicated they like the idea of having a district in Salt Lake County rather than dividing Salt Lake County four ways. So I've made an effort to accommodate that," Waddoups told the hearing.

Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, also said southern Salt Lake County in the past has often been divided away and paired with Utah County — which tends to elect a Utah County congressman. He said this time, he wants the southern county to be the center of a district. He said the plan is merely to help generate discussion.

Waddoups' plan would also create a northern Utah U.S. House District, including Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties. Another district — which would have most of its population in Utah County — would include Democratic Summit County and Morgan, Wasatch, Daggett, Duchesne, Uintah, Carbon, Emery and Grand counties.

Most of the people testifying at the hearing didn't like the plan. Art Poulson said, "Such maps ignore the ideas of compactness and communities of common interest." He said other plans by good-government groups propose "perfect doughnuts," but said Waddoups' is "a spider doughnut" that still combines much of Salt Lake County with rural areas.

Salt Lake City resident Manoli Sargetakis said, "I am a little frustrated that, with the splits the way you have them, how people I don't share the same weather with, don't share the same schools, the same roads, the same police and fire, are being forced to share the same district with me. It doesn't make a lot of sense."

While most redistricting field hearings have been lightly attended, a large crowd came Wednesday , with many complaining about an earlier proposal by Waddoups on state Senate districts — which would likely eliminate two Democratic seats. Republicans already have a 22-7 majority in the Senate.

Waddoups' Senate plan would force Sens. Ross Romero and Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, into the same district. It would also force Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake, to face Sen. Dan Liljenquist, R-Bountiful, by including her Democratic Rose Park into a district centered in Republican southern Davis County.

Several Rose Park residents opposed having their area joined with Davis County in a Senate district.

Rose Park resident Dorothy Owen noted that the Bountiful-Rose Park district proposed by Waddoups has lines that look a bit like a duck. "It looks like a duck, but we think its quackers. And it's a turkey," and said the two areas have little in common.