King said he was defeated by the district's largely GOP demographics. "Too many Republicans," he said, adding he had no regrets about the race. "It was the only opportunity to keep that Senate seat," he said.

Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, looked like she would beat Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Sandy. Walker said the election was a referendum on private school vouchers. She had supported vouchers, but her constituents voted 2-1 against them in the referendum last year.

"All she talked about was vouchers," Walker said. "I told my constituents I would not support vouchers again and tried to run on all the things I'd been able to accomplish for the district and thought it would compensate for it."

Buttars said he had been under fire for months because of a comment made on the Senate floor last session that negatively described the "baby" being divided by a bill as black and ugly. "It's been very, very tough," he said. In the end, Buttars said the campaign against him "turned a lot of people's stomachs" and that voters knew him well enough to know he did not intend the comment as racist. "You always know where I'm at. I tell you. That creates a lot of friends, and special-interest enemies."

With losses by Curtis and Walker, Democrats would hold the House and Senate seats along the east side of Salt Lake County from Salt Lake City in the north to Draper in the south.

"In Salt Lake County especially we made gains," said Wayne Holland, Utah Democratic Party chairman. With Democrats also taking control of the County Council, Holland said: "Salt Lake County is becoming more like Denver and Clark County (in Nevada); we're moving in the right direction. And I think Democrats will do better there, and in other areas of the state, in future elections."

As the newspaper's deadline approached at midnight, some legislative races in Salt Lake County were still too close to call, with many of the votes not yet counted by the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office.

Former Democratic House member Trisha Beck was holding a slight lead over former GOP Rep. LaVar Christensen in a Sandy city district.

Republican Brent Wallis had won a House seat (in Ogden) that had been held by a retiring Democrat. That left Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, the only Democratic legislator north of Salt Lake City.

And while Democrats hoped to break through in heavily Republican Utah County, they didn't. GOP incumbent senators and representatives there won easily — dashing the hopes of several moderate Democratic candidates who raised healthy campaign war chests. All Utah County lawmakers remain Republicans.

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