No Demo runoffs in Salt Lake County

Salt Lake County Democrats chose at their annual convention Saturday to avoid any primary runoffs, despite multiple candidates in a surprising number of races.

"For the party, it's important because now we can focus on beating the Republicans. We didn't all file against each other because we wanted to beat other Democrats," county party chairwoman Megan Risbon said after the 4 1/2-hour gathering at Highland High School.

The outcome allows the state's minority party to reserve campaign resources for the November general election, although some races involving Salt Lake-area Democrats have not yet been decided because the legislative districts involved extend outside the county.

Party delegates picked the Democratic nominees for eight legislative districts and one county council seat. In some races, it took multiple ballots to garner the 60 percent of the vote needed to secure a spot on the general election ballot — or the withdrawal of a competitor.

That was the decision made by Kelly Ann Booth, one of four Democrats who filed for the Senate District 7 seat being vacated by Sen. Karen Hale, a Democrat who was first elected to represent the east-side district in 1998.

After nearly two hours of balloting, Booth trailed Rep. Ross Romero but Romero was still shy the 60 percent majority needed to be declared the winner. So, after a brief private meeting with Risbon, Booth, a first-time candidate, agreed to step aside.

"On the one hand, it was an incredibly easy decision. Ross is a strong candidate," Booth said after her announcement, as she accepted hugs and handshakes from disappointed supporters who'd given her a prolonged standing ovation.

Romero called on the crowd to make sure the Senate seat stays Democratic come November.

"Oftentimes, we don't speak up because we think people don't share our views," he said. "But guess what, Democrats are the mainstream party."

The race that drew the most attention was in Senate District 9, between former state Rep. Trisha Beck and Jenni Lee Jackson, a transgender who had served on the Sandy City Council in the '80s and '90s before her sex change, which took place about 1 1/2 years ago.

Beck, who was formally nominated by outgoing Sen. Patrice Arent as well as by a Boy Scout leader and her young son, Riley, easily won the delegate vote after promising to represent the Sandy district's "quiet moderates."

Jackson told delegates she has passion and believes in herself.