Only two Democrats survived the Republican tidal wave that swept through Salt Lake County government Tuesday.
Randy Horiuchi, Utah's best-known county commissioner, survived a close contest against political newcomer Gene Whitmore.Commission Chairman Jim Bradley wasn't so lucky, losing to Republican businesswoman Mary Callaghan by a 7-point margin. Callaghan becomes the first women ever elected to the commission and also shifts its balance of power to the Grand Old Party.
Gender was never an issue in the Callaghan-Bradley race. Callaghan says she beat the incumbent by convincing voters that she could do a better job of managing county government.
Bradley said his own message got lost. "I am extremely proud of what I've accomplished in the past four years. I think we brought a lot of good to this community. Unfortunately, I don't believe the voters had a real opportunity to evaluate those accomplishments."
Looking out across the Democratic wasteland at 2 a.m. Wednesday, a doleful Horiuchi said his own victory seemed somewhat hollow, especially in light of Bradley's defeat.
"One reason he lost is because the race was successfully cast in partisan terms, which is unfortunate because so much of what we do is non-partisan," Horiuchi said. "Jim was a victim of the partisan freight train."
The only other Democrat to escape that train was Clerk Sherrie Swensen. With 50 percent of the vote, she managed to stave off challenges from Orrin Hatch campaign worker Keith "Chum" Prows and Hatch's sister, Frances Hatch Merrill, who ran on the Independent Party ticket.
Enid Greene Waldholtz was giving her victory speech to supporters at Republican headquarters early Wednesday when Neal Gunnarson interrupted her from the corner of the room.
"I did it!" he screamed.
Gunnarson was reacting to the final vote tally making him Salt Lake County's first district attorney. He upset two-term County Attorney David Yocom by 6,723 votes in final but unofficial results.
But while Gunnarson was celebrating, Yocom - the man who fought to create the new district attorney position - was shaking his head.
"I'm sick to think I'm not going to be the district attorney I dreamed of being. There's a lot to be done," he said.
"We're getting swept out because of the Republican swing and not because we haven't done a good job."
Gunnarson downplayed the tide of Republican voting, saying the issue voters addressed was crime. "I think they want a new voice in there," he said.
"My message has been I want to do something about gangs and crime."
Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard easily surpassed his Democratic opponent, Pete Kutulas, to win a second term. Kennard garnered nearly 65 percent of the votes to Kutulas' 35 percent.
"I've done what I said I would do. The public knew that," Kennard said.
Kutulas, who recently completed an intense 13-week course at the police academy because his police certification had lapsed, said he was disappointed but had no regrets.
"It was a long shot, and I was always aware of that," Kutulas said. "But as tough as it was, I've never felt better in my life."
In the county's other races, Republicans took all three open spots, ousted two incumbents and retained an office.
Republican Auditor Craig Sorensen won a fifth term, easily defeating Democrat Kevin Whatcott and an unaffiliated candidate, Don Lee Gertsch.
In an unusually high-profile recorder's race, Republican Nancy Workman was widely criticized for a campaign that focused on "secret liens" but won her contest against Democrat Jan Johnson by a 15-point margin.
In the wake of near-tax revolts caused by a universally disliked reappraisal system, the assessor's race was also closely watched this year, especially after the incumbent Republican, Robert Yates, dropped out. Another Republican, Lee Gardner, will succeed him. Gardner, a state Tax Commission valuation appraiser, defeated his Democratic co-worker, David Swan.
A county treasurer's administrator, Johnson also lost her boss, Democratic Treasurer Gary Pratt, who was appointed to the post upon the death of Art Monson in 1993. Republican Larry Richardson, who is serving as chief deputy state treasurer, garnered 53 percent of the vote to Pratt's 47 percent.
Deputy County Attorney Allan Moll, widely recognized from his years as a television news anchorman, failed to win the newly divided county attorney's office. Doug Short, who has been active in Sandy politics, won the race with about 25,000 votes to spare.
In the surveyor's race, Democrat M. Carl Larsen lost his bid for a fourth term to Republican Vaughn E. Butler.