Another candidate, Smith-DeRusha, said the district is looking for someone "who will get something done, as opposed to standing on a pulpit." She pointed to Buttars' so-called message bills, such as his attempt at barring Salt Lake City from initiating a domestic partner registry. That effort failed and lawmakers instead approved guidelines for such registries.

"I don't need another message bill, I want someone to do something for the west side," Smith-DeRusha said. "It's time to elect a true conservative."

Activist groups, from the NAACP to the Eagle Forum, have also targeted the district. Jeannetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake Branch of the NAACP, said that while the group will not endorse any particular candidate, they are working to draw attention to Buttars' "mean-spirited way of doing things."

Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum, defends Buttars' voting record. She points out that the remark that started Buttars' woes came while he was speaking out for west-side schools. "The whole thing started as a discussion on the split of the school district and him standing up and fighting for his district to make sure the west side got the money they deserved," she said.

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