"No one wins the mayor's race without building a coalition" of a wide range of voters, says Buhler, who ran former GOP Gov. Norm Bangerter's come-from-behind 1988 re-election and considers himself somewhat of a political historian and strategist.

Exit polls in Anderson's last two victories clearly showed that GOP Mormons voted against Anderson; Democratic and independent non-Mormons voted for him. But Buhler says that that split doesn't necessarily have to occur this year.

"There was an under vote (poor participation) by some demographic groups" in Anderson's wins, says Buhler. "But (those citizens) didn't feel they had anyone to vote for" in the final election, and so they stayed home.

"The media may call me a Republican," says Christensen, who notes he has not voted in recent, closed GOP primaries and has not run in a partisan race before. "I consider myself a centrist, and that's not true of the other (mayoral) candidates who have a party label printed on their foreheads" from running and/or serving in partisan offices before.

While Buhler and Christensen are putting their political affiliations in their back pockets, Meghan Holbrook is front and center as a Democrat. While she also says she will draw voters from all parts of the city in her mayoral race, Holbrook was the first female chair of the Utah Democratic Party, leading the party from 1997 to 2003.

Two other mayoral candidates also are easily identified as Democrats. Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson (Ted's daughter) holds a partisan office, as does Utah House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake.

"I'm not saying a Democrat should win" the mayor's race, Holbrook said. But could a Mormon Republican white male win the office? "Sure, but I'm saying the best man for the job this time is a woman," said Holbrook.

Holbrook said all the candidates know how the race has gone the last two decades: The non-Mormon, more liberal Democrat in the final election has won. "But I don't see it breaking out that way" in 2007.

"There are so many good candidates in the field. The traditional special-interest groups are split all over the place," supporting different candidates for different reasons, said Holbrook, who oversaw statewide and legislative partisan races for six years as Democratic Party chairwoman.

Both Buhler and Christensen eschew the idea that they will split the GOP vote, that they are somehow pitted against each other rather than running in a large primary field.

A citywide primary campaign "is kind of politics 101," says Buhler. "You work hard, you raise money, you wear out your shoe leather" walking neighborhoods.

"People are ready to look forward, not dwell on the past" elections that split out Republican or LDS candidates for defeat, Buhler said.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com