Thoughts on Salt Lake mayoral primary

Frank has returned from his family jaunt in the Mediterranean (having successfully avoided any major international incidents instigated by his 6-year-old twin boys). So we offer a little mayoral election analysis.

Did Jenny Wilson "lose" or did Ralph Becker "win" the primary?

Pignanelli: The "Wilson Curse" strikes again. Ted Wilson and his daughter are great underdog candidates who come from behind to defeat incumbents (Ted in his first mayoral race in 1975, Jenny against Steve Harmsen for the Salt Lake County Council in 2004).

However, father and daughter are cursed to lose when polls deem them frontrunners. (In the 1988 gubernatorial contest, Ted was ahead until the very end.). There are lots of theories on the streets, but the bottom line is Wilson's neighborhood effort was weak and her cautious campaign did not capture the undecided vote.

Normally, Wilson's lead could carry her through Election Day. However, Ralph Becker led a near perfect campaign. His opponents admit Becker mounted a tremendous door-to-door in neighborhood strategy while scoring points in debates. After release of the midsummer polls, Becker analyzed that most undecideds were left of center. While Wilson dithered in the middle, Becker focused his efforts on liberal activists who vote. Yet, while he curried favor with leftists, Becker maintained respect among moderates and many Republicans.

Becker dominated cyberspace and the blogger community. Politicos disparaged his "Blueprint Man" video, which was spread throughout the Internet. Thus, while many attacked this silly commercial, it achieved the objective of prompting numerous conversations regarding Becker's experience in urban planning and environmental causes. Thus, Wilson's slip and fall allowed Becker to step over her.

Webb: It's not fair to say there's some Wilson gene that caused father and daughter to lose frontrunner races. The 1988 and 2007 races were vastly different in scope and dynamics with little to compare.

I think Wilson ran a good, competitive race and didn't coast or take things for granted. She hustled to the end, as was evident in her quick and aggressive response to the motherhood issue. It's harder than it looks to maintain frontrunner status throughout a campaign. Ask John McCain.

The simple reality is that Becker ran a better race that peaked at the right time. He was far more experienced with campaigns in the city and understood the necessity of obsessive neighborhood campaigning and targeting people who will actually vote.