When it came to Congress, Utahns followed national trends Tuesday of generally keeping incumbents, rejecting politicians who had overdrafts at the House bank, not shifting party power much and electing more women.
Karen Shepherd became the first woman sent to Congress by Utah since 1950 (and only the second one ever) by defeating Enid Greene by a 51-47 percent margin, according to unofficial final tallies. That kept the seat of Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, in Democratic hands. She also becomes the first House member from Utah who is openly pro-choice on abortion.Bob Bennett kept the seat of retiring Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah, in Republican hands by beating Owens (who had 87 overdrafts at the scandal-closed House bank) by a 55-40 percent margin. And incumbent Reps. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, and Bill Orton, D-Utah, easily won re-election.
Nationally, Democrats appeared headed to pick up only one additional seat in the Senate - giving them a 58-42 edge, falling short of the 60 votes they hoped for that would have created a "filibuster-proof" majority that could stop any Republicans who try to talk bills to death.
In the House, Republicans appeared headed to pick up nine seats - but Democrats would still retain solid overall control. Democrats had estimated they would lose 20-25 seats because of redistricting this year.
Utah and national candidates also made history in several ways:
- Democrat Carol Moseley Braun in Illinois became only the second black since Reconstruction elected to the Senate. In the House, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida also elected their first blacks to Congress since Reconstruction, thanks largely to new congressional districts drawn under Voting Rights Act requirements to boost minority representation.
One of the new black members was Democrat Alcee Hastings of Florida, a former federal judge who was impeached and removed from office by the Senate in 1989.
- The number of women in the Senate doubled to six, a record. Besides Braun, other newly elected women elected included Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California and Patty Murray of Washington.
- Feinstein and Boxer became the first all-woman Senate delegation from a state.
- Rep. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, D-Colo., became the first American Indian to win a Senate seat.
- Continuing counts indicated the incoming number of freshman could be the highest since 1946, when 118 were elected. At least 108 freshmen had won in counts through Wednesday morning, with several close races still to be decided.
- Bennett became the first son of a senator in Utah history to win the seat once held by his father. It had been attempted twice before (Democrat Brian Moss trying to win the seat of former Sen. Ted Moss, and former Rep. David S. King trying to win the seat of Sen. William H. King.)
- Hansen earned a tie for most House election wins ever in Utah (seven) with former Rep. J. Will Robinson, D-Utah. Hansen did that even though he has helped lead a drive nationwide for limiting House terms to six.
While many expected voters to vent strong anger against incumbents this year, fewer than expected lost. Only three incumbent senators were dumped and 22 incumbent House members.
The House bank scandal ended the careers of several members including Reps. Thomas Downey, D-N.Y., Mary Rose Oakar, D-Ohio, Joseph Early, D-Mass., Peter Kostmayer, D-Pa., Gerry Sikorski, D-Mich., and Bob McEwen, R-Ohio.
However, some big House bank overdrafters survived. Re-elected were Reps. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio, who had 551 overdrafts; Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., 408; Harold Ford, D-Tenn., 388; Bill Clay, D-Mo., 328; and John Lewis, D-Ga., 125.
Utah will likely have somewhat less power in the new Congress, even though its delegation will have the same political makeup as before Tuesday's election.
While Bennett replaces Garn with a fellow Republican, he won't have Garn's 18 years of seniority nor the assignment on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee (which usually takes years of seniority to obtain) that Garn used well to win funding for Utah projects.
Likewise, while Shepherd keeps Owens' seat Democratic, she also will not have Owens' three terms of seniority nor his close ties with House Democratic leaders that helped pass legislation preserving the Central Utah Project and compensating downwind cancer victims of atomic testing.
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(Chart)
How long Utah's senators have served
Sen.-elect Bob Bennett could have a long career if history holds true. Utah's past six senators each served at least 12 years.
Orrin Hatch 1977- 16 years
Jake Garn 1975-1993 18 years
Frank Moss 1959-1977 18 years
Wallace Bennett 1951-1975 24 years
Arthur Watkins 1947-1959 12 years
Elbert D. Thomas 1933-1951 18 years
Abe Murdock 1941-1947 6 years
William H. King 1917-1941 24 years
Reed Smoot 1903-1933 30 years
George Sutherland 1905-1917 12 years
Thomas Kearns 1901-1905 4 years
Joseph L. Rawlins 1897-1903 6 years
Arthur Brown 1896-1898 2 years
Frank J. Cannon 1896-1900 4 years
Total years by Republicans: 122 Total years by Democrats: 72