Utahns not so happy with legislators

The Utah Legislature gets overall good marks from voters on its work in the 2008 session. And Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is absolutely adored by voters.

But all is not sunshine this election year. Many voters say their state senator and/or representative should not be re-elected. Rather, someone new should be sent to the 2009 Legislature.

A new poll for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV by Dan Jones & Associates finds that while voters are fairly happy with the overall work done during the 45-day general session, which ended earlier this month, and are ecstatic about the job Huntsman is doing, there are some hard feelings toward legislators themselves.

Jones, whose wife is state Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, found that overall 58 percent of Utah voters approved of the job lawmakers did in the just-completed 2008 Legislature. That is a decent job approval rating for an amorphous body like the part-time Legislature, whose 104 members are not well-known among even their own constituents.

Huntsman gets an amazing 84 percent job approval rating from registered voters. That is a top rating among Utahns, who generally like their governors and other top-elected officials. But among governors in other states, an 84 percent approval rating is exceptional.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, is in clear trouble with his constituents as he prepares for his third term campaign. Buttars was first elected in 2000. Buttars faced an uproar when in debate last session over a school bill he said, "this baby is black, it is a dark, ugly thing." Buttars apologized. But the Salt Lake chapter of the NAACP demanded Buttars resign. He refused and announced his re-election bid.

Jones found that among Buttars' Senate District 10 voters, 67 percent said they prefer that Buttars not be re-elected, and that someone new should be elected in that state Senate district. In fact, 53 percent said that Buttars "definitely" should not be sent back to the Legislature.

Twenty-three percent said "definitely" or "probably" when asked if Buttars should be re-elected. Historically, says Jones, an incumbent candidate wants to get higher than 40 percent in any "naked re-elect" question — like the question the newspaper asked about Buttars and other legislative incumbents. Being above 50 percent is considered good.

However, having 67 percent of one's constituents say they want someone other than you, the incumbent, to be re-elected is not good.