Becker, Buhler to face off

Either Democrat Ralph Becker or Republican Dave Buhler will be Salt Lake City's next mayor.

The two veteran politicians finished first and second in Tuesday's primary election as Utahns across the state went to the polls to winnow mayoral and city council candidates. The general election is Nov. 6.

Becker, minority leader in the Utah House, and Buhler, a former state GOP senator and an eight-year City Council member, will face off to see who will run Utah's largest city and capital for the next four years.

Both men have a laid-back approach to campaigning, and both predicted the final election will be issue-driven, not focusing on personalities.

But, like several of the recent mayoral elections, this one will have the more liberal, non-Mormon, male candidate battling the more conservative, LDS male candidate.

In a close-fought and expensive primary election, Democratic Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, who once led the race according to various polls, had her chance to advance to the finals nipped by approximately 1,200 votes.

Former Salt Lake City Councilman Keith Christensen, who spent in the neighborhood of $600,000 on his race, the most of any candidate, finished a distant fourth. He ended up spending about $250 per vote.

And five other candidates, who really never had a chance of victory, were also eliminated.

Buhler, who has butted heads with retiring Mayor Rocky Anderson for years, said: "I think people are ready for a change of tone in the mayor's office. I think both Ralph and I bring that. We're both good guys. It's going to come down to who will be able to get things done."

Even though the election is nonpartisan, city residents haven't elected a Republican mayor in nearly 40 years.

Becker said he was surprised by the size of his victory Tuesday — he netted approximately 40 percent of the votes cast.

"I've felt for weeks that my campaign has been growing, right through this past weekend. I'll just keep on going, talking about what I can do for this city," Becker said.

But Becker said he will also continue mentioning that he's a Democrat — as the city has voted heavily Democratic in recent elections.

"Being a Democrat is part of who I am. I'm proud of it and will keep talking about it," said Becker, who is an urban planner and lawyer.

The top four candidates spent upward of $1.5 million together — a large sum considering that much of it came in only the last two weeks with TV ads and mail-delivered fliers.

Oddly enough, the two biggest spenders, Christensen and Wilson, failed to reach the finals.