This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Republican congressional candidate Chris Stewart seems to think he has something in common with the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

He's a miracle.

Stewart is running for Utah's 2nd Congressional District, winning the nomination at the GOP convention and speaking about the threat of the Gadianton Robbers (Book of Mormon bad guys). He is a favorite of talk-show host Glenn "They're-Coming-to-Take-You-Away" Beck, who had Stewart on his show before the convention to discuss their shared righteousness against the evils of the world.

In a campaign video he says if we don't do something now (elect him?), the United States, as we know it, will cease to exist in 10 years.

"We're at a tipping point in our nation's history," he says on the video, adding there have been other tipping points "when God intervened" with miracles.

He lists three things that need to be done to save the country: Be willing to hear the truth. Have the courage to do the right thing. Keep the faith in the greatness of our nation.

"I know that to be true," he concludes.

Meanwhile, a complaint filed by several of Stewart's GOP state convention opponents that he lied and cheated his way to the nomination is still pending with the Federal Elections Commission.

Maybe the complainants just don't believe in miracles.

Correction • In my Wednesday column, I took Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee to task for not knowing the unemployment rate of his county when testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. A review of the video of McKee's testimony proves me wrong. In questioning from Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly, McKee answered correctly that the unemployment rate is near 4 percent.

My apologies to the commissioner. My source for the item was the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance's newsletter Redrock Wilderness, which got it wrong. By relying on the newsletter, so did I.

Speaking of superhero videos • You might recall my column about a political video featuring members of the Patrick Henry Caucus in the Utah Legislature as super­heroes.

The video showed Republican Utah House members Carl Wimmer, Keith Grover, Ken Sumsion, Chris Herrod, and Steve Sandstrom in various poses and marching down the hall at the Utah Capitol as though they were the Magnificent Seven.

It also featured cameo appearances by former Rep. Craig Frank, who said, "Give me liberty or give me death," and Sen. Margaret Dayton, who said, "We are the Patrick Henry Caucus," even though she would not have been allowed to vote during Patrick Henry's time.

But superheroes are human, too. Of the original founders — Wimmer, Grover, Sumsion, Herrod, Sandstrom and Frank — only Grover is left in the Legislature. The others all lost bids for higher office.

One Republican activist who got tired of the constant calls from Wimmer when he was running for Congress created a special ring-tone just for when he called so she would know not to answer.

It was the theme song from "Superman."