Legislative races will have major impact on Utah

With the campaign season in full swing, a number of legislative elections are capturing the attention of political observers. These contests will have important results, not just for the political parties but for the Legislature and county governments. We'll highlight a few of these races today and more in coming weeks.

Senate District 4 — Patricia Jones vs. Dirk Anjewierden. When we last wrote about this east bench (Holladay, Millcreek, Murray) Senate seat, things were at a mild simmer. The battle is now at a raging boil. When the popular Patrice Arent announced her retirement, many assumed Jones would easily fill the vacancy. However, the gregarious and articulate Anjewierden has launched an aggressive campaign focused on his membership in the majority party and his knowledge of health-care issues. GOP insiders are steering financial and technical campaign resources to Anjewierden because he offers a real shot to recapture the district. Anjewierden is an attractive moderate Republican with a pleasant personality who — under different circumstances — would be the front-runner. But Jones is taking nothing for granted. She is a formidable candidate — experienced, mainstream, successful businesswoman, intelligent and charismatic. She has promoted tax reform, education funding and health issues, and she commands bipartisan respect (her brochure has a preapproved picture of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.). Both candidates have aggressive campaigns, and this contest will be the most watched, and most expensive, this year.

Senate District 18 — Jon J. Greiner vs. Stuart Reid. After incumbent David Thomas lost the GOP primary, most politicos concluded that Democrat Reid would have insurmountable difficulty against Greiner, the popular Ogden police chief. But Reid has developed a feisty grass-roots campaign. In the meantime, Greiner has been dogged with bad publicity over law enforcement issues in Ogden. Related to some of Utah's leading families, Greiner is well-connected in the Weber area. Reid is a former Salt Lake City Council member who opposed Rocky Anderson for mayor (qualifying Reid for sainthood in most areas of the state). He relocated his significant development and deal-making talents to Ogden. The outcome of this race will likely be decided in north Davis County, where neither candidate holds a natural advantage.