This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gary Herbert will get another two years in the governor's chair with an elected mandate of his own, and Mike Lee completed the tea party's ouster of Bob Bennett by winning a U.S. Senate seat. That was the news from the top of the ticket in Tuesday's election, but it was hardly big news. Both Republicans had double-digit leads over their Democratic opponents in pre-election Tribune polls and were expected to win by large margins.
The more intriguing question going forward is how this election might affect Herbert's leadership, particularly his relationship with the Legislature. In normal times, the governor's conservative credentials would be unquestioned. But as the Legislature swings even harder to the right, he stands out as a moderating voice. We hope that will continue.
That's important, because the Democrats have no power in the Legislature; their minority actually shrank in this election. The real two-party system in Utah, then, is traditional Republicans versus the fire-breathing Patrick Henry Caucus states' righters. Sending messages to Washington may make ultraconservative Utahns feel better, but it doesn't accomplish much.
However, the sons and daughters of the new federalism will have a sympathetic ear in Lee. He's one of them. But he will be a back-bencher in his first term, not a position of influence in the seniority-bound U.S. Senate. Unless the tea party ideology has a profound effect in Washington, Lee won't have much clout. He will, however, be one of the Senate's youngest members. Given time, and a couple more terms, he could accumulate power.
Despite the head of steam worked up by the tea party, all three incumbent Utah congressmen were re-elected, including republicrat Jim Matheson. So much for revolution.
Ethics played a more prominent role in this campaign than many expected, thanks to the controversy over Herbert's acceptance of big donations from people doing business with the state. Interestingly, the electorate didn't punish him for that, but they did pass Amendment D, which will create a new ethics commission for the Legislature.
The hapless Democrats not only lost seats in the Legislature, but they lost control of the Salt Lake County Council. Look for Republicans to push for repeal of the law-enforcement fee in the unincorporated county. The only bright spot for Democrats was Sim Gill's narrow win in the District Attorney's race over incumbent Lohra Miller.
Despite the hot rhetoric over debt and taxes, voters in Salt Lake County approved a $15 million bond issue for Utah Museum of Natural History. Go figure.