Buttars gets GOP nod by one vote

SANDY - Sen. Chris Buttars, who roiled the last legislative session with his "black baby" comment, has captured the Republican nomination against three intraparty challengers.
    Buttars escaped a primary contest with the strongest of his rivals, Gary Armstrong, by a single vote at the Salt Lake County Republican Convention. One ballot was discarded because the delegate had apparently marked both names. The two-term incumbent now goes on to face Democrat John Rendell in the November general election.
    Armstrong did not challenge the discarding of a spoiled ballot even though, had it been added to his total, it would have put him over the 40 percent mark to force a primary in June.
    But he expressed bitter disappointment at the race's outcome.
    "Our district can't survive four more years of Chris Buttars. I will support the Democrat," said Armstrong.
    "I'm very surprised the delegates drank the Kool-Aid," he added. "I'm disappointed they have that little concern for the district."
    Buttars said he was "absolutely shocked" at his rival's statement, adding, "He's a real party man, eh?"
    He compared his narrow margin of victory to a basketball game, saying that, "One point or 50 points, it's a win."
    Rendell, Buttars' opponent in November, said he met Saturday with a Republican delegate frustrated with the outcome and offering his support. Rendell said Buttars is the candidate he wanted to face in the election.
    "I'm glad a winner has emerged so now I can solidify my campaign and move forward accordingly," said Rendell, who is an information technology specialist with a medical staffing company and a first-time candidate.
    Buttars said Saturday that his campaign thus far has been the toughest he has been in because of fallout from his racially charged comments during the legislative session, which prompted the NAACP to call for his resignation.
    ''It's been five months of the 'hate Chris Buttars parade,' '' he said, but he worked hard and met personally with about 90 percent of the 204 delegates in his district. ''I never took anything for granted.''
    Republican Senate leaders have backed Buttars, issuing an endorsement letter praising him for standing up for important principles.
    And in the convention, it was the backing from one of his challengers that probably made the difference. Trevor Darby, eliminated in the first round of balloting, endorsed Buttars as the nominee and urged the 28 delegates who backed him to vote for Buttars. Darby said he was concerned about the district keeping a conservative voice.
    On Friday, delegates in Buttars' district received a mailer slamming him, from a group called Citizens for Fair Taxation. The mailing criticized the senator's voting record and told delegates, ''If you choose to ignore the problem in Senate District 10, there's an excellent chance you'll be represented by a liberal Democrat.''
    The group is not registered with the state, and Buttars sent the mailer to the Lieutenant Governor's Office to investigate.
    Buttars ignited a firestorm earlier this year when on the Senate floor he said of a school construction bill, "This baby is black, I'll tell you. It's a dark, ugly thing."
    Buttars apologized, but the NAACP and other critics have not forgiven him.
    In another high-profile legislative race, former state Rep. LaVar Christensen made a big step toward reclaiming his old seat in the Legislature by knocking out current Rep. Sylvia Andersen.
    But other incumbents easily fended off intraparty challengers and no contest was close enough to trigger a primary election.
    Sen. Michael Waddoups of Taylorsville and incumbent Reps. Greg Hughes of Draper, Jim Bird of West Jordan, and Ron Bigelow of West Valley all captured more than the 60 percent of delegate votes needed to clinch nominations.
    But incumbent Andersen failed in her bid to hang on to her House seat in Sandy when Christensen claimed about 70 percent of the delegate vote. Christensen, a Sandy attorney and developer, earned a reputation as one of the Legislature's most conservative members. He was a sponsor of the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
    In the hotly contested House District 45, an open seat being vacated by Rep. Mark Walker, who is running for state treasurer, Brian Monsen emerged from a field of candidates to capture the nomination. And Michael Renckert, a field supervisor for the state Adult Probation and Parole, easily won the party's nomination for Salt Lake County mayor.
   
   
   
   
   
    House District 24:
    Joe Jarvis - 28
    Michael Ridgway - 1
    House District 32:
    Ron Bigelow (i) - 30
    Walt Sorensen - 1
    Johnny T. Ruiz - 0
    House District 33:
    Warren Webb - 17
    Joseph Pete Moesser - 6
    Andrew Parker - 0
    House District 35:
    Rob Alexander - 10
    Rick Taylor - 6
    House District 42:
    Jim Bird (i) - 41
    Steven Larsen Rinehart - 18
    Peggy Wallace - 3
    House District 45:
    Brian Monsen - 33
    Mary Bangerter - 18
    House District 46:
    Jaren Davis - 46
    LeAnne Walker - 8
    House District 48:
    LaVar Christensen - 42
    Sylvia Andersen (i) - 18
    House District 51:
    Greg Hughes (i) 60
    Margaret Bird 26
    Senate District 6:
    Michael Waddoups (i) - 83
    Ronda Rose - 43
    Senate District 10:
    D. Chris Buttars (i) - 112
    Gary Armstrong - 74
    County Mayor:
    Michael Renckert - 1,079
    Joseph Irish - 40
    County Council District 6:
    Max Burdick - 137
    Robert Warnick - 44
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