Were letters fatal blow in House race?

Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Orem, once believed he was the chosen one.

In Tuesday's Republican primary and his quest for re-election in House District 59, he was not. Instead, voters chose Lorie Fowlke, a 52-year-old lawyer and current stay-at-home mom, who beat Thompson by 320 votes.

The loss derailed Thompson's political career, which stretches back 12 years including two terms in the Legislature and two terms on the Orem City Council.

Tuesday's results may have been impacted by a series of letters Thompson wrote in the 1980s, copies of which surfaced in Orem mailboxes just days before the primary. The letters were sent anonymously with the the phrase "paid for by those of us who really know Mike and why he should not serve in an elected office" printed on them.

In the letters, Thompson lashed out at Orem city officials, including then-mayor DeLance Squire, for not supporting him during a failed bid for City Council in the early 1980s. Thompson wrote that he had been chosen by God to save the U.S. Constitution, Squire said. Thompson included with the letter a note written to him from Ezra Taft Benson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that included seven points of advice, some of them relating to the U.S. Constitution.

"He felt that was an endorsement for his calling, that he was following the direction of President Benson," Squire said.

Because the letter copies that surfaced last week were sent anonymously, Thompson believes they may have violated campaign laws. He turned them over to the Utah County Attorney's Office, where they are being reviewed.

"We'll have to see if there is a violation of election code," said Chris Yannelli of the county attorney's office. "Unfortunately there is not enough time before an election to review these kinds of things."

The outside of the envelopes containing the copied letters bore only a Provo postmark. Determining who sent them would be difficult, Yannelli said.

Thompson has implied that Fowlke was involved in distributing the letters, which she denies. She said she worried before the election that the letters might turn voters against her, if they believed she was involved.

"It's unfortunate that they came out the way they did and I'm upset there's still a cloud on my campaign," Fowlke said Wednesday. "I think it confused a lot of people. I don't blame those who thought I had something to do with it, but those who know me know I would never do something like that. I've never seen the letters."