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Democrats gripe that Latino town hall was a Utah Republican event masquerading as a nonpartisan forum

Democratic state Rep. Angela Romero wondered why her phone erupted with texts Thursday evening asking why she wasn’t attending an event promoted on Facebook as Utah’s “First Latino Town Hall” to discuss politics.

Some attendees questioned why the only officials speaking at the Taylorsville City Hall event were six white Republicans. No Latino legislators — all of whom in Utah are Democrats — were present.

“It was a Republican-sponsored event, but the Facebook ads didn’t say that,” an upset Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said in a Tribune interview Friday. “I applaud Republicans for trying to reach out to Latinos, but the way they did it was misleading.