Hall said if he had to score it he would call it a draw.

In a KSL-TV poll taken Wednesday night by SurveyUSA after the debate, 57 percent of those interviewed say Bush clearly won the debate while 25 percent say Kerry won.

However, members of VoteProject and Associated Students of the University of Utah Government Relations board sided with Donald Dunn, Utah's Democratic Party chairman, saying Kerry came off better.

"John Kerry demonstrated the strength and character we need in a commander and chief. He's a president for the middle class. . . ," Dunn said. "He held Bush accountable for the past four years. Bush seems to be 0-3 in the debates and with the middle class, 0-4 on the past four years. Bush can't defend his record, so he attacks Kerry."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Kerry debates well but he can't run from a liberal 20-year record in the Senate.

"I can't name one substantive law he's authored, and that's because he's so far left no one can work with him. He tried to defend himself tonight by saying he's passed 56 bills in 20 years — I passed 43 just last year," Hatch said. "If, after 20 years, he couldn't get 534 members of Congress to agree with him to pass substantive legislation, how in the world does he expect to get 260 million Americans to agree with him as president?"

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com