Former Congressman Dan Marriott sat on his garden wall in shirtsleeves, slightly nodding his head. "This is the first time in Utah politics that the Republicans let the Democrats and independents pick their nominee. Whew," he said, showing both disbelief and disgust.
Marriott got his walking papers Tuesday from the 2nd Congressional District electorate in a primary that ended his attempt to return to Congress after a six-year hiatus and likely will end his political career.In what has to be considered a come-from-behind upset, Marriott was defeated by former Utah House member Genevieve Atwood. Atwood got 58 percent of the vote to Marriott's 42 percent. She now faces Democratic incumbent Wayne Owens on Nov. 6.
Marriott led by 2-1 in recent public opinion polls among those who said they're Republicans, although he trailed Atwood by several percentage points among all voters. Utah holds open primaries - any registered voter can vote in any party's primary.
There was no surprise in the 3rd Congressional District, however, where Karl Snow's defeat of fellow Republican John Harmer was expected. Snow has maintained his lead in the polls for months, and Harmer's chances dwindled in recent weeks as more and more Republicans endorsed Snow and Harmer's troubled financial past haunted him. (See accompanying story.) Snow now faces Democrat Bill Orton in this heavily Republican district. Both Harmer and Marriott said they endorse and support the Republicans who beat them.
In the only contested Salt Lake County Commission race, incumbent Republican Commissioner Bart Barker defeated radio station owner Henry Hilton, 59 percent to 41 percent, to win the GOP nomination. Barker faces Democrat Jim Bradley in one commission race, and GOP Commissioner Tom Shimizu faces Democrat Randy Horiuchi in a race for the other commission seat.
Legislative primaries saw three incumbent Republicans defeated. GOP Sen. Lorin Pace, a fixture in the Utah House for 20 years before jumping to the Senate four years ago, was beaten by community worker Delpha Baird in their Holladay district.
Two conservative GOP House members, Reps. Pat Nix, R-Orem, and Conrad Maxfield, R-Salt Lake, were defeated by more moderate Republicans.
Atwood's win came in a low-turnout primary election that was knocked from citizens' minds by the Iraqi crisis in the Mideast and overshadowed in Utah by the bitter Snow/Harmer battle to the south.
Marriott hoped for a strong Republican turnout. He didn't get it. Only 17 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Salt Lake County, clerks said. For weeks, he's worried that independents or even Democrats would vote for Atwood. They did.
According to pollster Dan Jones, who conducted exit polling for KSL-TV, Marriott actually led Atwood, 53 percent to 47 percent, among those who told exit interviewers they consider themselves Republicans.
It was the voters who consider themselves independents and those who said they're Democrats who pushed Atwood over the top. Marriott's worst fears were realized. "The crossover vote, that's what got us," Marriott said. Owens thought Marriott would win. "The Democrats crossed over and got Dan," he said in Washington, D.C.
Marriott already has said he'll ask the GOP-controlled Legislature to change Utah election laws in January with an eye toward keeping independents and Democrats out of the Republican Party's nomination process.
Said Marriott: "I won in the state (GOP) convention (where he came within 35 votes out of 650 delegates of eliminating Atwood). I won among Republicans today, I believe. But, if the Republican Party is as weak as it appears in Salt Lake County, then it will take a moderate to liberal Republican, not a conservative like me, to win." Atwood polled 6,378 votes more than Marriott. "It's very possible that that many Democrats and independents came into the Republican primary and defeated me," he said.
Now Atwood's thoughts turn to Owens, and his to her.
A Deseret News/KSL-TV poll conducted by Jones published over the weekend shows Owens leading Atwood 55 percent to 30 percent with 1 percent voting for someone else and 14 percent undecided. Jones found that 41 percent of those who said they're Republicans favored Owens, the Democrat. Only 40 percent of the Republicans said they'd vote for Atwood, their own party's nominee.
"I thought a chunk about that (how to beat Owens) today," Atwood said Tuesday evening as she relaxed for a moment sitting in the study of her Avenues home, her family and supporters yelling each time a TV newscaster reported her lead over Marriott.
"It's so hard not to get too excited over this. Can you believe we did it," she said, smiling broadly, hugging her knees in an attempt to quell her enthusiasm.
"Everyone likes Wayne. Hey, I like Wayne. Dumping on him, being negative, won't cut it, would be counterproductive, I think. I have to make comparisons that show a real difference. It comes down to who do you want in Congress? He's a lawyer; I'm an earth scientist. He's a man; I'm a woman. He's of the 1970s; I'm of the 1990s."
Owens is considered, even by his harshest Republican critics, a fine politician. He often says Utahns are smart to have at least one Democrat in Congress (he is the lone Democrat in the five-member delegation).
"I certainly understand the diversity argument," said Atwood. "I'll ask voters to look at the whole Congress - dominated by Democrats. I hope this result (the rejection of Marriott) signifies the Utah public wants new leadership, that they're concerned with their present representation."
"Genevieve and I are closer on more issues than Dan and I are," said Owens. "So the issue will really become who is best able to represent the people of Salt Lake County." He said his campaign staff had worked hard to prepare strategies against both Marriott and Atwood.
Owens plans to attack Atwood's comments against government involvement in child care and against proposals to require employers to give workers time off without pay to care for sick family members or new babies. "I favor both those. So now the campaigning begins," Owens said.
While endorsing Atwood, Marriott questions her ability to beat Owens. "Will the women stick with her? Can she raise the money needed? Can she get the (financial) support? Will the national Republican Party and national big-name Republicans make this a priority race? I doubt it. I'm not certain some of the downtown (Salt Lake City) community will be with her. It will be a real test for her."
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(Additional information)
1990 Election Results
U. S. Congress
2nd District
Genevieve Atwood (R) 22,089
Dan Marriott (R) 15,711
3rd District
Karl Snow (R) 29,331
John L. Harmer (R) 14,956
Salt Lake County
Commission Seat A
Bart Barker (R) 23,993
Henry Hilton (R) 16,998
Davis County
Commission Seat A
Ed Snow (R) 9,626
Jack Bangerter (R) 9,099
Commission Seat B
Gerald A. Purdy 10,630
Blake G. Chard 7,744
State Senate
District 9
Delpha A. Baird (R) 2,615
Lorin N. Pace (R) 2,202
District 22
Haven J. Barlow (R) 5,954
Don Sperry Redd (R) 3,780