Valentine said no further action can be taken against Buttars under Senate rules. Senators can be censured only if they refuse to apologize for a breach of decorum, he said, noting a censure carries no penalties.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said in a statement Thursday that Buttars "has to answer to those people who elected him to office and they are the ones who will ultimately decide, based on their level of outrage, if he ought to resign. He ought to listen to what they have to say."

Some residents in West Jordan said Thursday that they are embarrassed by the senator's statement, but their reasons for wanting Buttars to resign have more to do with disagreeing with his overall political beliefs, rather than his statement.

Buttars, who was first elected to the Senate in 2000, shares representation of West Jordan in the Senate with Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville. He is up for re-election this year but has not announced yet whether he will run.

Former West Jordan City Councilman Rob Bennett, who lives in Buttars' district, said he is reluctant to call for Buttars' resignation.

"I have a hard time demanding perfection from any elected official," Bennett said. "Just the fact that someone has said a stupid comment shouldn't automatically make them responsible to resign to atone for whatever dumb thing they've said."

Ron Stallworth of Layton, a former member of the Utah Black Advisory Council and a retired public safety investigator, said Buttars has long expressed a negative view of women and minorities.

"It's not a mis-speak," Stallworth said. "Buttars is a racist, pure and simple. ... He is a disgrace to that body. ... He just basically stated what he thinks of the black race right there. Black babies are ugly to him."

Buttars is also "well known for his attacks on Utah's (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community," according to a statement issued by the Utah Pride Center.

"I feel a great deal of empathy for what the African-American community is dealing with right now, said Valerie Larabee, the organization's executive director.

"My first and foremost concern is for the young Utah ear and what the future leaders of this state are learning from this kind of language," Larabee said. "If this stuff continues to be acceptable within that body, we're doing our youth a great disservice."

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Contributing: Amy Choate-Nielsen
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com; dbulkeley@desnews.com