They may have lost the governor's race, but Democrats won some small victories in races for the Utah Legislature on Tuesday. The final tally: One seat gained in the Senate. Democrats also won a seat in the House, but it was a wash with the unexpected defeat of 12-year Democratic Rep. Eli Anderson of Tremonton by Republican Rhonda Rudd Menlove. Democrat Fred Fife was the victor of the night, defeating incumbent Sen. James Evans, R-Salt Lake City, in Senate District 1, one of the fiercest legislative battles. "I think it's important for the Democrats to get another seat in the state Senate," said Fife. "It's a step toward better balance in the Legislature up there." Without provisional and some absentee ballots being counted, Fife won by a mere 360 votes. But Evans says the highly Democratic breakdown of his district proves his effectiveness as a Republican legislator. "Part of my validation [in losing] is that the race was so close that it could really go, in the future, either way," he said. "At least a significant portion of the population appreciated what I had done." Evans is the first Republican to represent Senate District 1 in almost 70 years. He won his seat two years ago after the death of Sen. Pete Suazo, whose wife was appointed to fill the seat but dropped out of the subsequent election. The other win for Democrats was in Murray, with the ouster of the often-controversial Republican Rep. Chad Bennion of Murray. He lost to challenger Tim Cosgrove by a significant tally, 55 percent to 42 percent. Opponents say it was time for change. Bennion had turned off his district with "asinine" and ineffective legislation, said Murray resident Debra Dahle. Other tight races turned into victories for Democrats, with Salt Lake County lawmakers Roz McGee and Brent Goodfellow retaining their seats by small margins. With the addition of Fife, Democrats will occupy eight of 29 Senate seats and the House will remain the same, with Democrats holding 19 of 75 seats. - Nicole Warburton