UEA can't take all the credit, however. GOP vote-counters say Karras knocked out Lampropoulos by 273 votes in the sixth round of ballot-counting, likely more than the teacher union could muster.

(This leads to another question: Will GOP bosses want to stick with the preferential ballot system if there's a possibility that a group like the UEA can, by bloc voting, affect convention results in a major race?)

Karras' upward movement was countered by other candidates' slippage, several convention-watchers say.

Some delegates didn't like Huntsman's wealth, good looks and upper-class experience as an ambassador in the two Bush administrations, several delegates told me Saturday.

Utah House Speaker Marty Stephens, who many believed was the classy conservative choice, was mired in 12 years of incumbency, the last six as speaker. How could he say the Mike Leavitt/Olene Walker administration had gone on a spending spree when he "allowed" such budgets to go through the Legislature, another delegate told me.

The credit unions' direct mail pieces and telephone calls to delegates last week bashing Stephens (who worked for Zions bank until he quit last year), may have been unneeded, even mean-spirited, but it likely put the last nail in Stephens' political coffin.

Walker's defeat wasn't a surprise to anyone who was paying attention.

While popular herself among all Utahns, she was burdened by 11 years of a Leavitt administration that was not well-liked by a number of conservative Republicans. Remember, Leavitt himself was booed at the 2000 GOP convention and forced into a primary with a virtual unknown GOP challenger.

As one of the other GOP candidates said this week, "people were just tired of Leavitt/Walker."

Former 22-year U.S. House veteran Jim Hansen gave a good convention speech, but that die was already cast. And when 1st District Rep. Rob Bishop seconded Karras' convention nomination, Jim Hansen was reportedly personally hurt, especially after he helped get Bishop situated in the GOP-controlled U.S. House last year.

In fact, some ill-feelings — be they deserved or not — may linger against Karras, who personally is a candid, straight-shooting guy, because of convention actions/politics he had little or nothing to do with.

Top Karras supporters also have ties to the credit unions, Stephens' nemesis. And Karras is a friend not only to Walker but to Leavitt as well. So some of the ousted candidates and their supporters may be looking toward Huntsman rather than Karras in the primary.

But the primary is a different dog than the convention. Individual grudges count less in that much-larger playing field.

If Karras can raise some money, raise his name ID and get his government, civic and business r�sum� before voters, he's got a chance against the better-funded, better-known Huntsman.

It's five and a half weeks to Election Day.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com