Four political conventions in three Utah counties yielded only two real surprises on Saturday.
First, the only incumbent to lose was Davis County Commissioner Michael Cragun, ousted by former Clearfield City Councilman Alan Hansen during the Davis County Republican convention at Clearfield High School.
Then, at Utah County's GOP convention, a Utah soldier in Afghanistan nearly forced the heavy favorite in the race for an open seat on the County Commission to a primary.
Davis County
In what could only be termed a surprising upset, Hansen beat Cragun by 62-38 percent in the second round of voting during the Davis County Republican Party convention in Clearfield.
Three Republicans had filed for Cragun's four-year seat, including Randy Stevensen and Lynn Ballard, who were eliminated in the first round of voting.
Hansen upset Cragun 62 percent to 38 percent in the second round of voting.
Several delegates and county officials leaving the convention said they thought it would be a close race for Cragun, but they didn't expect him to lose at the convention.
Commission Chairman Dannie McConkie said he was upset Cragun lost.
Cragun may have been hurt by literature handed out criticizing a failed tax increase. The entire three-member County Commission proposed a 138 percent tax increase, but Cragun was selected to explain the increase proposal to a packed Memorial Courthouse public hearing in December 2002, and so took the brunt of the ill feelings.
One piece, sponsored and paid for by "The People That Can No Longer Support Mr. Cragun," blasted him for trying to raise "taxes an unheard of 138 percent in the middle of a recession."
Another, paid for by Citizens For Responsible County Government, questioned whether residents and even "Mr. Cragun's supporters trust him to do what is in the best interest of the people of Davis County, or only what is in his best interest."
A third piece, paid by Concerned Citizens of Davis County, urged delegates to vote for Ballard or Hansen, saying they would not raise taxes.
Salt Lake County
While Republicans were making an issue out of Democratic women seemingly having an edge on Republican white men, in November Republican Mayor Nancy Workman will face Democrat Peter Corroon, a developer and first cousin of Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and unsuccessful presidential candidate.
Corroon was the top choice of Salt Lake County Democrats, defeating Marilee Latta, operator of Liberty Park Concessions, who focused on her gender hoping to win the party's nomination.
"It's going to take a woman to beat a woman," she said at the county Democratic convention held at Skyline High School.
However, 70 of the Democrats felt Corroon had the best chance to unseat Workman, chanting "Nancy, you're fired" at the end of Saturday's convention.
Meanwhile, at the Salt Lake County GOP convention at the Salt Palace, the races for the nomination for three contested County Council seats came down to one basic premise: Which of the candidates could keep the council from falling into the hands of Democrats Randy Horiuchi and Jim Bradley, or as at-large incumbent Councilman Steve Harmsen referred to them, "the Democratic duo of doom."
Harmsen, who pledged no new property tax increases over the next four years, easily defeated former Salt Lake County Commissioner Brent Overson, who admitted he had made mistakes in the past but that he had acted on the best information available at the time. And he said he has experience defeating Democratic female candidates. (Jenny Wilson is the Democratic candidate for the at-large council seat).
In the District 4 contest, Shaun Kruger pulled out at the last minute and threw his support behind Patricia Florence. But it wasn't enough to overcome Mark Crockett, who garnered 79 percent of the vote to win the GOP nomination.
Crockett will face Dina Blaes, who overwhelmingly defeated Gary Bowen for the Democratic nomination.
Florence tried to play the gender card, pointing out that Democratic women have been systematically defeating white male Republicans all along the east bench in legislative races. And she has no doubt that Blaes has the funding and party organization to do the same thing if Crockett was nominated. As a woman, she could negate that Democratic gender advantage and keep the council Republican.
"We don't need another Democrat taking orders from Randy Horiuchi," Florence said.
In the District 2 contest, Michael Jensen won the Republican nomination when Ronald Holt Sr. did not show up for the convention. Steven Frederick Shamy is the Democratic nominee.
In District 6, Chris Cage emerged as the Democratic nominee after Gary Pratt Jr. withdrew his name.
Utah County
Larry Ellertson won a Utah County Republican convention race for the County Commission — which means he also won the seat outright because he has no challenger in the November election. But Maj. Jim Bischoff nearly took Ellertson to a Republican primary.
Bischoff, a Special Forces intelligence officer from Benjamin called up by the Army National Guard on April 3, has been campaigning in absentia through his wife, Alesia. Another 37 votes would have extended the unorthodox campaign for two months until the June primaries.
"If he were here, we'd wipe them out," said Alesia Bischoff, who sparred with the other candidates during debates and said her husband likely will seek elected office again in the future.
As the race went to the third and final ballot, Bischoff said she was disoriented by the success.
Instead, Ellertson, the Lindon mayor endorsed by nearly every mayor in Utah County, won 63.5 percent of the vote and will replace Gary Herbert. Herbert vacated his commission seat to run for governor and now is running for lieutenant governor on Jon Huntsman Jr.'s ticket.
Huntsman and Herbert appeared together at the Utah County convention at the McKay Events Center at Utah Valley State College, where Herbert promised the pair would fix I-15 in Utah County.
Ellertson and Bischoff finished one-two on all three ballots on Saturday. Jim Larsen and Tim Taylor were eliminated on the first ballot, and Alan Lisonbee lost on the second ballot.
"The numbness hasn't worn off yet," said Ellertson, who was facing his first contested race. He originally was appointed Lindon's mayor and ran unopposed for a new term.
The county party also adopted a pro-traditional marriage platform at the conclusion of the convention.
"The Utah County Republican Party endorsed passage and ratification of state and federal marriage amendments that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman," said Cherilyn Bacon, a Provo resident who made the motion that was accepted by voice vote.
E-mail: lweist@desnews.com;