Local races just as intense as major campaigns

The high-profile federal and gubernatorial contests dominate public attention as election day draws closer. However, many smaller races are as aggressive and intense as any major campaign. In fact, politicos analyze the results of legislative races to determine trends and potential dynamics of the future.

Given the national political mood, this election is shaping up as a strong year for Republicans. Utah Democrats will fight to hang on to what they have, while Republicans are expecting to pick up legislative and county seats.

A recent survey conducted by Western Wats shows the challenge facing Democrats. Asked which party they most trust to lead the Utah Legislature, 58 percent of Utah registered voters chose the Republican Party, and only 22 percent the Democratic Party. Even in Salt Lake County, where Democrats have been making gains, a significant majority favored Republicans leading the Legislature over Democrats.

Here are some of the more interesting battles:

Payback time: Two years ago, Jay Seegmiller accomplished the impossible by knocking off Republican House Speaker Greg Curtis in his Sandy legislative district. Republican and Democrat insiders complimented Seegmiller (a railroad conductor) for waging a hard-fought, door-to-door battle against one of the most powerful men in Utah.

This year, Republicans are pouring resources into attorney Derek Brown's campaign to thwart Seegmiller's re-election effort in a GOP-leaning district. Depending on the outcome, either Republicans will claim the Brown victory demonstrates Seegmiller was a fluke, or Democrats will proclaim Seegmiller's re-election clearly reveals they own east Salt Lake County.

It's dejavu all over again: Incumbent Democrat Trisha Beck is fending off another challenge from Republican LaVar Christensen (who also held the seat for two terms). These two have competed against each other before in their alternating possession of the position for the last 15 years. Beck, a dedicated advocate for the impoverished and disabled, could not be more different than Christensen, a strongly conservative developer/attorney who can talk your ear off.