Utah voters cast their ballots for the other guy, what's-his-name.
It apparently didn't matter Tuesday who political newcomer Derek Smith was. It mattered who he wasn't, and he wasn't Rep Merrill Cook, a Republican congressman with a history of mercurial behavior.
Cook lost the GOP nomination for a third term Tuesday, becoming the second Capitol Hill incumbent to be defeated this election season.
"I think it was a clear decision. Cook) lacks integrity, he's been erratic and he hasn't been able to get anything done," said Pollyanna Pixton, who voted for Smith while holding her nose. "Neither of these men are the quality of representatives we want in Congress."
Cook was dogged by allegations of a volatile temper and erratic, even delusional, behavior. The congresssman admitted to having a temper but scoffed at questions about his mental health.
With just six seats needing to change hands to swing control of the House, every member of the House leadership backed Cook. But prominent Utah Republicans feared losing the seat and began a not-so-subtle search for a replacement.
Smith, a 35-year-old Internet entrepreneur, stepped forward five minutes before the deadline and led Cook by 31 points in a poll at one point.
"Cook was really the key to the election," said University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank. "Derek Smith is simply not well enough known to have defeated (Cook) based on claiming to be a better candidate."
Smith conceded that part of his support came from the anti-Cook vote but said voters also liked his message of flatter taxes and an end to federal education mandates. Spending about $600,000 of his own money, mostly in TV and radio ads, certainly didn't hurt either.
Now Smith expects money to roll in from donors, much as it already has to his Democratic opponent, Jim Matheson, who said he has raised more than $700,000.
Smith plans to spend the next several weeks getting his message out and "trying to heal some of the fissures in the Republican Party."
Like Smith, Matheson has never run for office. But as the son of the late Gov. Scott Matheson, he carries one of the state's most respected political names.
Cook's upset changes the dynamic of the November race and may help Republicans keep the seat.
In fact, Cook's loss is probably "causing massive rejoicing in congressional Republican ranks, I will tell you," said Norman Ornstein, a political analyst with the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute.