An American News Project documentary on Barack Obama supporters in Utah explores the spread of purple in the nation's fire-engine red state.

With some oversimplification, the video suggests the biggest reason the Beehive is swinging toward the Democratic candidate is Utah's dominant Mormon culture and its heroic action figure Mitt Romney. In a nutshell:

• Mormons won't soon forget the way Mitt and their religion was insulted by McCain and the GOP's evangelicals during the primaries.
• Many Mormons accept the so-called "White Horse prophecy" that predicts a Mormon will ride into save the country in a time of crisis.

The White Horse lore, which has some foundation in historic statements by LDS leaders, bubbles to the surface every time a Mormon runs for national office. The rumors made the rounds when Orrin Hatch, and George Romney before him, ran for president.

Obviously, with endless war, recession, fossil fuels running out, global warming and Salt Lake's demographic shift to a non-Mormon majority upon us, the last days are here. A righteous dude on white stallion (or Harley) seems overdue. It follows that Obama is just part of the plan to put Mitt in the White House 2012.

If that's the case, any blue tint in Utah is only temporary. One Obama supporter in the video admits:

Not for the next thousand years will Utah go blue.