Name recognition will go along way in an election where what's-his-name is the most familiar candidate.
Salt Lake County Commissioner Mark Shurtleff was the beneficiary of being the known one in an attorney general's race that didn't draw much attention. Shurtleff easily outdistanced Frank Mylar 63 percent to 37 percent, according to final but unofficial results in Tuesday's primary.
"I have name recognition, obviously," said a jubilant Shurtleff. But, he said, it likely only extends to the Salt Lake Valley.
Shurtleff used his connections with some 100 elected county officials throughout the state to spread his name. "I think a lot had to do with that," he said.
Mylar, a political newcomer and former assistant attorney general, lamented the fact that voters didn't get to know him.
"A lot of people really didn't see who I am as a person," he said.
Though he doesn't accept the right-wing tag, Mylar clearly appealed to that faction of the GOP with his anti-pornography and parental-rights messages. And in the end, he was another conservative Republican who fell by the wayside after the votes were counted.
Mainstream Republicans came out for Shurtleff as they did for Gov. Mike Leavitt in his win over a conservative candidate, though Shurtleff said his race wasn't tied to the governor's. He said he believes voters opted for his experienced leadership in government.
Shurtleff, a former assistant attorney general, now faces his one-time boss, Democrat Reed Richards. Libertarian Andrew W. McCullough also is seeking the office.
Richards, chief deputy for Attorney General Jan Graham, is a moderate Democrat. Shurtleff said he expects a positive campaign in which the two will point out their differences. They already disagree on the gun issue. Richards supported the failed initiative to place on November's ballot a ban of legally concealed guns in schools and churches; Shurtleff opposed it.
Shurtleff said his campaign will focus on the problems he sees in the attorney general's office under Graham.
E-MAIL: romboy@desnews.com