Becker has received as many as 9,000 votes in his House district in past elections. He got 7,000 in his last re-election, a number that he says "easily gets me out of the September primary — assuming we get a fair (voter) turnout."

The highest mayoral vote-getter in recent city primaries had only 6,000 votes, Becker notes.

"I have a geographic base. Now I have to get more people to get to know me," he says.

Recent poll results bear that out: A Dan Jones & Associates survey this month of 400 Salt Lake City residents who said they were likely to vote showed that Becker faces the biggest name-recognition hurdle, with 35 percent of those polled saying they had not heard of him. Even so, Becker tied for third place among the mayoral candidates, with 13 percent of those polled supporting him.

While the race is officially nonpartisan, being a Democrat will help Becker and the other candidates who are Democrats.

"Seventy percent of the city are either Democrats or are independents who vote Democratic," said Becker. No GOP mayoral candidate can win against those odds, he believes.

"The main question I get asked as I walk door-to-door is whether I'm a Democrat or a Republican," he says. "I will have no qualms campaigning as a Democrat. I don't hide it, it's part of me."

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com