Buhler certainly expected to do better this year. Instead, he fell well short — perhaps a victim of a perfect political storm of city voters unhappy with national Republicans, especially President Bush; unhappy with the GOP Legislature's private school voucher law (which lost 4-to-1 in the city); and Becker's strong, grass-roots campaigning.

"I worry about partisanizing these races," like the officially non-partisan Salt Lake mayor's race, said Buhler, who will return to his full-time job as an associate commissioner of higher education. "The challenge is to get people to look beyond labels."

"I ran a strong campaign," Buhler said. "I felt I had adequate money. It's just hard to change some of the perceptions that people have. I always thought I had a chance to win. But it has been tough. I don't see any more campaigns in my future. Ralph will be a fine mayor."

Buhler, who is LDS and a former GOP state senator, knew it would be an uphill fight. City voters have not elected a GOP mayor since 1971 and haven't elected an LDS mayor since 1983. Becker, a non-Mormon, will become the fifth consecutive Democratic mayor.

Dan Jones, pollster for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, said Becker's large win "is really a victory for the Democrat Party" — which backed Becker and helped organize pro-Becker and anti-private school voucher operations in the city.

Becker said he started walking city neighborhoods in March. He says that groundwork helped him surge from third in the polls to an impressive September primary victory. A trim, 55-year-old outdoorsman, Becker, a divorced father of two and grandfather of one, said some days he walked eight or 10 hours.

Becker believes he will bring a different governing style to the mayor's office — where Anderson has a longtime reputation of quarreling with City Council members, the Legislature and others.

Becker said he expects as mayor to continue the good relationships he'd had with both Republicans and Democrats. "I'm glad to say I've had very good relationships on both sides of the aisle with leadership and with the membership of the Legislature," he said.

He said he wants to use those ties to "be a hopefully more effective advocate at the state level for Salt Lake City." Even before Anderson became mayor, the capital city" has, at times, "suffered from Salt Lake City being a whipping kid up there. There will always be tensions. That's just the nature of the relationship ... Give me time."

House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said Tuesday night he personally will welcome Becker's administration. As minority leader, Curtis said he knows Becker well and respects him and his style. Becker "is not confrontational, as Anderson is," said Curtis, who battled with Anderson over the Legacy Highway and locating the Real Salt Lake stadium (which abandoned the city and is being built in Sandy). "I've found Ralph easy and good to work with," said Curtis.