Primaries well-heated

As many as four Republicans could be ousted from the Utah Legislature in Tuesday's primary election, but the biggest fights among legislative candidates may be for open seats.

Dave Thomas, a senator from South Weber, and three House members — Sheryl Allen from Bountiful, Peggy Wallace from West Jordan, and Jim Ferrin from Orem — all face challenges from within their own party.

But candidates to replace two retiring GOP senators, Al Mansell from Sandy and Beverly Evans from Altamont, are waging primary campaigns that are tough and, in the case of the District 9 race in Sandy, expensive.

In the Sandy race, Bryson Garbett, a developer and owner of Garbett Homes, and Wayne Niederhauser, a certified public accountant who owns a real estate management and development company, have already collected close to $100,000.

Garbett and Niederhauser, who have both contributed significant sums to their own campaigns, said they've been spending big since April, when they were among five candidates vying for the nomination at the Salt Lake County Republican Convention.

Senate races have reached the six-figure mark before, but not before a primary. GOP candidates for the only other open Senate seat with a primary, District 26 in the Uinta Basin, have spent less than $19,000 each.

That number is likely to climb considerably, however. Dave Ure, a House member and rancher from Kamas, started the race for the District 26 nomination with a war chest of more than $48,000.

The other candidate in the race, Kevin Van Tassell, has significant financial support from the Uinta Basin where the District 26 senator traditionally lives. Van Tassell is the manager of the Vernal branch of Zions Bank.

In another primary race involving an open seat, two Democrats are battling hard to represent their party in House District 25, which includes some of the most liberal areas of Salt Lake City including the University of Utah as well as a portion of Summit County.

Both Josh Ewing and Christine Johnson were part of the unsuccessful effort two years ago to stop a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Ewing has worked for Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson and Johnson is raising her daughter with her lesbian partner.

Thomas, the only incumbent senator with a primary, is being challenged by Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner for the GOP nomination. Greiner said he's running because Thomas, a Summit County deputy attorney, hasn't paid enough attention to law enforcement issues.