By all rights - common sense, partisan demographics, cosmic fairness - the general election for Salt Lake City mayor should be between two progressive candidates. Ralph Becker and Jenny Wilson should be facing off in November.

They won't be, of course. Liberal voters will split their loyalties between the two Democrats. And there are just enough conservative votes in the city to guarantee that a Republican will survive next Tuesday's officially nonpartisan primary. Right now, the smart money and all the polls are on Wilson and City Councilman Dave Buhler.

But I'm going to make a case for Becker.

Normally, I'd vote for the woman virtually every time. I think Utah needs more women, more mothers, in positions of political power - if only to balance the patriarchy of the pants that dominates in all levels of government, from city councils to the Legislature.

And Wilson is tempting. The 41-year-old daughter of beloved former Mayor Ted Wilson, she has credentials to spare. She has worked loyally on Democrats' campaigns and managed former Congressman Bill Orton's office. She graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government - no easy feat. She was a volunteer director for the 2002 Winter Olympics. She is a mother of two young boys. And she has served one term on the Salt Lake County Council, pushing for campaign finance reform, domestic partner benefits and an air-quality committee. Her eventual caving on soccer, a vote she regrets, was the only real low point. She's the front-runner, the foregone conclusion.

Still, I'm uneasy. The beat on Wilson is that she lacks experience, that she's riding her dad's coattails.

For the most part, the criticism is fair. The Wilsons have almost campaigned as a twofer. He sent out the e-vite to her latest fundraiser, an art auction. Much as I love Ted, this skin graft at the hip ultimately undermines his daughter's effort to distinguish herself from him. If we wanted Ted in the Mayor's Office, we'd ask him to put his name on the ballot again.

At first glance, questioning Wilson's experience seems sexist. She has more hands-on political experience than either Mayor Rocky Anderson or former Mayor Deedee Corradini had when they first aspired for the office. And few of their challengers had better résumés.

Wilson has gone on the offensive to counter such questions.

"It's not that I can't take it or wouldn't expect to defend my record," she says. "But I can't help but wonder if I were not a woman, if these questions would be asked."

But that's too simple. This race is full of more experienced politicians. Buhler has served eight years on the City Council and one term in the Legislature. Erstwhile Republican Keith Christensen logged two terms on the City Council. And Becker has been in the Legislature 10 years. In that crowd, Wilson's local-government references look thin.

And that's the clincher for me. Faced with a choice between two equally progressive, equally solid candidates, I'd pick the one with more experience. And that's Becker.

A lawyer by training, he started his own environmental and urban planning business more than 20 years ago. The 55-year-old father of two grown children worked for beloved Democratic Gov. Scott Matheson. As House minority leader, he's been both whipping boy and power broker.

Pro-choice, anti-voucher and green, Becker this year sponsored legislation to cut off lobbyist gifts, block politicians from free-for-all spending of campaign funds and co-sponsored a bill that would have provided public funds for cervical cancer vaccinations. His Republican colleagues only allowed the cervical cancer bill to pass, and just with "education" funding. Becker also regrets rounding up the votes for the soccer stadium. He's fighting the futile "good fight" of a liberal in Utah Legislature. There's a reason he's endorsed by everyone from Norma Matheson to Scott McCoy. (I'm deliberately overlooking the dorky "blueprint man" ads.)

So vote Becker. In the end, maybe it can be a race between two progressives.

walsh@sltrib.com