Last March Workman led all challengers by at least 23 percentage points in a Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll. A poll conducted in May, just before the controversies erupted, showed Workman still leading the race at 40 percent, with Corroon at 29 percent and independent candidate Merrill Cook at 11 percent. Two months later, with the numbers of Corroon (27 percent) and Cook (12 percent) almost unchanged, Workman slid to 31 percent and a statistical dead heat with Corroon.

In a Deseret Morning News poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates Wednesday, the day the panel's findings were released, Corroon led Workman by a wide margin, 36 to 23 percent, with Cook at 10 percent.

"I'll be honest with you. We didn't believe she would be this vulnerable," Democratic County Councilman Joe Hatch said.

Timing might not be everything in politics, but it certainly counts for a lot. The Democrats could have nominated just about anybody as their candidate and he or she would have benefited from Workman's troubles. Having Corroon, a person with political experience and connections, albeit moderate, is a bonus. That benefit also applies to independent Cook.

"It's a pole vault for us," he said.

County party chairwoman Nichole Adams, who first approached Corroon about running, has always fiercely defended her choice, even when Workman was strongest. Adams says Corroon was the one who showed courage in taking on what at the time seemed to be a contest unlikely to finish in his favor.

---

E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com