Romney’s name is still gold in Utah
Mitt Romney was a hero in 2002 after being credited for rescuing the scandal-tarred Olympics in Salt Lake City. Utah saw Romney as an adopted son in his first bid for the presidency in 2008 and again in 2012 when he earned the GOP presidential nod. Tuesday’s election showed Romney is still beloved. And the margin of victory (early results put it at 73 percent to 27 percent) also signaled that attacks on Romney for being a carpetbagger don’t work with an electorate that likes him.
President Trump is not a selling point
Most Utahns may have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump, but that doesn’t mean they love him. Trump endorsed Romney — and Romney accepted it — but he tried to steer clear of talking about Trump during the campaign, and when he did talk about the president, Romney said he would stand by him when he agreed and call him out when needed. His opponent, state Rep. Mike Kennedy, meanwhile, saddled up to Trump, saying he wouldn’t be a vocal critic of the president.
In the 3rd District, incumbent Rep. John Curtis also pointed out some differences with the president, while his more conservative challenger kept close to the president. And Curtis, like Romney, won handily.
Candidates in other red states are going out of their way to embrace Trump, but in Utah, it seems wiser to keep some distance.
Convention delegates are not the same as primary voters
Clearly.
The national media made a lot out of Romney’s second-place finish at the Utah Republican Party Convention, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Romney sailed to victory against a lesser-known and less-funded challenger, showing that convention delegates are far more right-wing than the GOP voters who handed state Rep. Mike Kennedy a stunning loss. That doesn’t mean conventions are dead — they have rabid support from inside the GOP’s governing body — but voters got their way in the end.
Incumbency has its benefits
Former state lawmaker Chris Herrod mounted a challenge, again, to Curtis for the 3rd Congressional District seat and lost, again. Curtis, who is serving the remainder of Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s term, had the power of being in office this time, and it’s always easier to run when people are calling you “Congressman” at every campaign stop. It’s also easier to raise money.
Voters are fired up and turning out
Primary elections notoriously don’t draw a big percentage of voters. This one did.
Some 33 percent of Salt Lake County voters had already cast a ballot before polls opened Tuesday, meaning the mail-in balloting had helped boost turnout. County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said by early afternoon, that number was topping 40 percent. But voters are also paying attention more to elections and politics and showing up. Ahead of the critical midterm elections, that’s an important detail for any candidate to know.
Follow @thomaswburr