A summer of discontent that began with resounding boos at the state Republican convention ended with Gov. Mike Leavitt making another election night victory speech amid cheering supporters.
Leavitt endured a conservative GOP backlash, an unexpected primary election and a credible Democratic challenge to win a third term Tuesday. He joins Democrat Calvin Rampton as the state's only three-term governors.
Throughout the campaign, Leavitt, who eight years ago saw himself as serving no more than two terms, repeatedly said he has never been better prepared for the job.
"The people of this state have given me a mandate to continue my leadership," Leavitt said. "I will give it all I have for the next four years."
Unofficial results showed Leavitt with 56 percent of the vote to Democrat Bill Orton's 42 percent, with two precincts left to report. Orton took five of Utah's 29 counties, including Salt Lake County, the state's largest.
Leavitt, 49, came away from the unsettling summer with a renewed respect for the electoral process.
"I think most of all in a democracy there are many voices. All need to be heard and learned from. It's been very productive. I'm optimistic about the future and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving," he said.
Though Leavitt reached out to mend fences with his GOP detractors, some hard-core conservatives still crossed party lines to vote for the Democrat.
Orton, a former congressman who has lost his past two races after capturing three in a row, made Leavitt earn the win. He hit the governor hard on education, campaign spending and the controversial Questar utility regulation bill Leavitt allowed to become law.
And the political maverick is not going to ride off quietly in his black, ostrich-skin cowboy boots, especially when it comes to public schools.
"(Leavitt) hasn't heard the last of me. I have two little boys. I'm not going to allow them to go through an education system that ranks dead last in the nation," he said. "I'm going to be there pushing him to make sure he actually keeps his promise on education."
Leavitt said schools have been, and will be, his top priority. He campaigned to lower class sizes, raise teacher pay and improve test scores. "Education is my friend," he said. The Utah Education Association endorsed his campaign, but many rank-and-file teachers didn't get on board.
That friendship, though, might soon be tested as teachers are threatening to walk out if a legislative committee doesn't come up with a long-term funding plan. Leavitt said he believes educators know he'll provide the fuel schools need to improve. "We'll work through it," Leavitt said.
Orton ran a low-budget campaign that didn't make any noise until after Labor Day. Had he raised more money or started earlier, the former congressman might have made it a closer race, considering he already had name recognition and Leavitt was vulnerable.
But he purposely took a low-key approach to make an issue of what he believes are excesses in political campaigns generally and Leavitt's specifically.
Leavitt spent more than $1.8 million on his bid, much of it raised from large corporations, PACs and wealthy Republicans. Leavitt said he doesn't consider spending about $1 per Utahn exorbitant.
E-MAIL: romboy@desnews.com