Ivory immediately vowed not to accept any campaign contributions, saying he was prepared to spend $400,000 of his own money in the race.

When Workman announced her withdrawal a week later, the Republicans tried twice to get Ivory's name on the ballot before finally succeeding last week, following another Central Committee meeting and an unsuccessful court challenge by Democrats.

During the entire convoluted saga, Democrat Corroon, a developer of a handful of projects in and around Salt Lake City, continued his own campaign.

"There's only been one thing consistent about Salt Lake County during this whole thing, and that's been Peter Corroon," said Corroon's wife, Amy.

But Corroon often found himself upstaged by the endless series of crises and emergencies at county headquarters and within the Republican ranks.

During the ongoing soap opera, Corroon, who pushed smart growth, open space, mass transit and other traditional Democratic positions, often got the most attention when he simply responded to Workman's drawn-out political meltdown.

Corroon opposed his own party's legal challenges to the Republicans' attempt to switch candidates but characterized Ivory as a Johnny-come-lately who was simply trying to buy the election.

Independent Cook — a former congressman who had also unsuccessfully run for numerous other elected offices and championed various initiatives over the years — considered but ultimately decided against mounting his own legal challenge.

With only a month to campaign, Ivory came into the race with guns blazing, spending more money in four weeks than Corroon had spent in eight months. Both candidates dwarfed Cook's total contributions.

Ivory put up numerous billboards touting himself as "the write choice," went on the airwaves to push his candidacy, even instructed people on his Web site how to write him in before becoming the official GOP candidate.

That Web site, along with many of Ivory's billboards, last week sported a large "Now On the Ballot" announcement, even while continuing the Ivory write-in campaign pencil motif.

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E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com