The Bobbie Coray papers contain various documents, letters, and newspaper clippings regarding Utah political campaigns in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. The bulk of the collection consists of material from Bobbie Coray’s 1994 campaign to unseat seven-term incumbent Congressman Jim Hansen. This portion of the collection includes correspondence with various individuals, special interest groups, and political action committees as well as campaign planning documents, pollster data, marketing and advertising documents, material related to Jim Hansen, and a large collection of newspaper clippings relating to both national and local political issues. Also included are 23 audiovisual cassettes with news reports, campaign promotional material, and Cache Valley special advertisements.

This collection would be useful for anyone researching politics in Utah, specifically on the Democratic side. They provide insight into Democratic fundraising and election strategy in the 1994 mid-term elections, which ultimately led to the Republican sweep of both the House and Senate following the party’s “Contract with America.” Coray’s materials are particularly significant given that they offer a woman’s perspective in what had traditionally been a male-dominated profession.