Herbert, 57, is on the ticket with gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. and Hale, 46, is running in tandem with Scott Matheson Jr.

"My goal right now, singularly, is to help make Jon Huntsman Jr. the best governor he can be," says Herbert, who travels to far-flung corners of the state as a campaign surrogate and ambassador.

"We're kind of like Superman and Clark Kent - you really don't see them together too much. I'm quick to say I'm Clark Kent and Jon is Superman. I don't have any illusions about that," he says. "But this duo is probably as strong as any in the state's history. We have the potential to do some extraordinary things."

Hale says she is continually impressed with Matheson's ability to reach out to people with diverse views and assimilate their concerns into his vision for the future.

"He brings such great depth and experience into the office. His experience in law enforcement as a U.S. attorney for Utah is a great advantage. His experience as an educator is a great advantage. His experience as dean of University of Utah law school is a great advantage," Hale says. "All of those things qualify him for the job."

While they may sound like little more than cheerleaders, Hale and Herbert actually are the seasoned politicians of their respective teams.

Hale is a state senator in the middle of her second four-year term representing Salt Lake City's east side. She serves on the Transportation and Public Safety Committee and both education committees - one overseeing the public education budget and the other overseeing school administrations.

One of her key issues has been pushing for a mandatory seat-belt law - a tough sale in the conservative, Republican-controlled Utah Legislature. Despite odds against it, she got the bill through the Senate, only to see it squashed in the House.

"She is a very hard-working, persistent legislator and that's why she's made it so far with the bill," says Sen. Patrice Arent, D-Murray.

"I adore Karen; she was my absolute first choice for lieutenant governor," she says.

Herbert, meanwhile, is a 14-year veteran of the Utah County Commission. That tenure makes him the longest-serving commissioner in that county's history.

He started out the year as one of eight candidates for the Republican nomination for governor, but withdrew in late April to join Huntsman's team.

Political observers, even rival candidates, had to admit it was a smart move on Huntsman's part. Herbert had just served a year as head of the Utah Association of Counties, spending much of his time huddling with local elected officials, with a particular strength in rural Utah. It was a piece missing from Huntsman's rsum.

Local decision-making has been Herbert's mantra and accounts for much of political base. It's a view he says he would take to the Capitol.

"Everybody's tired of the top-down, micro-management, one-size-fits-all approach - the expert from afar," says Herbert. "It removes the voice of the people from their governance."

"There's nothing worse than the federal government - it's like they're looking through the wrong end of binoculars," he says. "But the state whines about the federal government dictating to them and then they turn around and do the same thing to local governments."

Among the local government crowd, Herbert's message is "kind of music to everybody's ears," says Brent Gardner, executive director of UAC and a campaign supporter of Herbert.

Herbert's influence can readily be seen in Huntsman's tempering of his original campaign promise to eliminate the sales tax on food. He has toned that down to say that he would not wipe out what has become a staple of local-government revenue unless he found some alternate source of funding.

Herbert also moved in to keep communication open with Tooele County officials after Huntsman riled some of them with his abrupt announcement of a plan to move the Utah State Prison, and mentioned Tooele as an example of a relocation site.

"We fill each other's cracks," says Herbert. He points to years spent in the Legislature lobbying on behalf of Utah County and the association of counties, adding that he expects he would be tapped as a point man for the governor in dealing with the state's 104 lawmakers.

Hale has similar expectations of being liaison with the Legislature. "I hope I would bring that [ability] to the office, with my experience. I feel lucky to have had a good relationship with people there," she says.

Hale says she has had input on many of the policy papers Matheson has issued during the campaign, including part of his education plan calling for an emphasis on arts in schools.

A pianist who has taught arts as a volunteer in the classroom, Hale says Utah schools are in danger of eliminating arts education in the budget squeeze.

"There has been such a focus on the basics [that] we've seen a pulling away from the arts. I see arts as an essential core of our education, and it is something that enriches all of our lives."

Karen Hale, Democrat

* Age: 46

* Political experience: State senator, six years

* Professional experience: Former publisher/editor

of Parent Express Magazine

* Family: Husband, Jon, five children

* Blast from the past: Hosted 1980 radio sports program called "Late Night Sports with Karen Hale" on KUER.

Gary Herbert, Republican

* Age: 57

* Political experience: Utah County commissioner, 14 years

* Professional experience: Real estate broker, co-owner of day-care center

* Family: Wife, Jeanette, six children

* Blast from the past: Tried out with the Pittsburgh Pirates after high school. "They said, 'Don't call us, we'll call you.' "