Utah votes red, mostly

Predictably, Utah voted red on Tuesday. Even presidential candidate John McCain, who lost to Democrat Barack Obama nationwide, carried the day here. Republican incumbents Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff won handily, as did congressional representatives Rob Bishop and newcomer Jason Chaffetz.

A red outcome, indeed.

But election night held some surprises, particularly in state legislative races. Greg Curtis, the sitting House speaker, was soundly defeated by Democrat Jay Seegmiller. Curtis, who barely won re-election in 2006, had been under fire in his House district for his role in securing public funding for the Real Salt Lake soccer stadium improvements and as a key figure in the school voucher issue, which was ultimately overturned by Utah voters.

Meanwhile, embattled Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, was in the race of his life at press time. Democrat John Rendell ran hard after Buttars made comments in a legislative debate that some Utahns construed as racist. Buttars apologized and fought off a number of Republican challengers in the GOP convention.

In Senate District 8, Republican Sen. Carlene Walker and Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Salt Lake, were locked in a tight race, although Morgan appeared to be pulling ahead at press time. Morgan, a member of the House Ethics Committee, lost valuable time on the campaign trail while deliberating ethics complaints against fellow House members Republican Greg Hughes and Democrat Phil Riesen.

Hughes was cleared and charges against Riesen were dropped. At press time, Hughes was in a tight race with Lisa Johnson, an anti school-voucher candidate. Riesen was en route to victory in the House District 36 race.

Incumbent Democrats U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon both cruised to victory. And it appeared that Democrats might make some gains in the Utah House and Senate.

In the races for Salt Lake County Council, incumbent Republicans Michael Jensen and Mark Crockett were engaged in close battles after opponents alleged they had each missed a considerable number of County Council meetings. Meanwhile, Democrat Randy Horiuchi, a fixture in county politics, appeared to survive a strong challenge by Republican Steve DeBry. The eventual victors need to recommit to providing effective representation for their constituents, many of whom will be affected by the upcoming expiration of the state township law.

Despite the economic downturn, voters in Salt Lake County approved Propositions 1 and 2, which authorized bonds for projects at the Tracy Aviary and Hogle Zoo, respectively. These votes demonstrate Salt Lake County residents' commitment to these treasures or their affinity for animals other than donkeys and elephants.