Buttars excluded at some talks

Embattled state Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, believes he will survive the May 5 Salt Lake County GOP convention even though he has four Republicans running against him.

But it's clearly an uphill fight for the two-term incumbent — some of the 198 Republican county delegates in his District 10 are holding meet-the-candidate nights and not inviting Buttars to attend.

The four Republicans seeking to replace Buttars — Trevor Darby, Kathy Hilton, Gary Armstrong and Wendy Smith-DeRusha — are hoping they can help with that ouster, which stems in no small part from comments Buttars made during the 2008 Legislature on the Senate floor during debate over a school district bill. He said of the bill: "This baby is black ... it is an ugly, dark thing."

While Buttars apologized quickly after other senators told him his comments could be misconstrued as racist, the Salt Lake Chapter of the NAACP still called for his resignation. Buttars refused to resign, and instead announced that he would seek a third, four-year term this year. It was not the first verbal stumble by Buttars, who has criticized gay student clubs and what he sees as anti-traditional-marriage movements.

The chances for Buttars' defeat this year may be good. A Deseret News/KSL-TV poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates in late March found that among Senate District 10 registered voters, 67 percent said it is time to let someone new serve, and among only GOP voters in District 10, 54 percent said it was time to elect a new senator. Despite the pressure, Buttars remains optimistic and said he has been talking to delegates about the issues and trying to address the issues surrounding his comments.

"It's pretty much the usual," he said. "I'm doing what I always do. I just work hard." But he is not able to work everywhere, since some delegate-organized candidate forums have not included him.

Buttars said he's well aware of the "three or four" delegate meetings that have, and will, exclude him. "It is very tacky — to have a meet-the-candidate night and not invite all the candidates," Buttars said. But he's still working hard, holding breakfasts, lunches and dinners with delegates, and finding nearly all of them willing to listen to him.

He didn't want to talk about how delegates are receiving him, especially what he is hearing or not about his black baby comments. "Yes, I believe I'll come out of the convention," said Buttars, 66.

Darby and Hilton attended the meetings where Buttars was not invited, which included the four challengers. They have also attended meet-the-candidate nights where Buttars has been invited and did attend.