Utah's red will stand out in sea of blue

Utahns chose again to send an almost-all-Republican delegation to a new Congress where Democrats won even bigger majorities on Tuesday — and will be joined by a Democratic president to boot.

Utah's three congressional races were all landslides, with the long-identified frontrunners all easily cruising to victory.

• Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was leading Democrat Morgan Bowen, an LDS seminary teacher, by a 65-30 percent margin at press time en route to a fourth congressional term.

• Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, was leading Republican Bill Dew, a retired homebuilder who spent $570,000 of his own money, by a 64-34 percent margin toward winning a fifth term.

• Republican Jason Chaffetz —who earlier defeated Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, in the primary election — was ahead of Democrat Bennion Spencer, a journalist, by a 65-29 percent margin.

That means that along with Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett — who did not face election this year — Utah is sending four Republicans and just one Democrat to a Congress with big Democratic majorities.

Matheson — the lone Democrat —told cheering supporters, "This election is different because something is happening in this country. There's a desire to break the partisan gridlock in Washington. There's a desire to get things done."

He told the Deseret News, "People want to see Congress and the White House work together. We will have a president who will do that. Voters are tired of partisanship. Republicans felt more of the wrath of voters over that this year. But if Democrats do the same thing, in two years they will feel that wrath, too."

He said his emphasis on working across party lines for results likely helped him continue to win in heavily Republican Utah. He said bigger Democratic majorities should support his priorities such as pushing oil shale development in the West, and banning importation of foreign radioactive waste as sought by EnergySolutions.

Chaffetz was excited to be Utah's newest member of Congress. "I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work right now. It's an honor and privilege to represent Utah to Washington, and not Washington to Utah."

He added, "I give my congratulations to President-elect Obama. To the extent that he is right, I will be supportive. But I am not elected to be a supporter, but a check and balance." Chaffetz added, "I will fight tooth and nail every step of the way to reject socialism."