Incumbent seemed to be the party of choice for voters in the four Utah congressional races.
As expected, the Utah delegation to Congress will not change, with all four candidates seeking another term easily winning their races. All of them were poised to win, with at least 55 percent of the vote.
Despite national concern among Republicans about losing the U.S. House of Representatives, GOP voters in the 2nd Congressional District stuck with their Democratic representative, Jim Matheson. He defeated former state legislator LaVar Christensen, who attempted to use the potential switch in House control to his advantage in the last weeks of the campaign.
"America has Utah, and Utah has a congressman who works hard every day to put Utah first," Matheson said. "In me, Utah has a confident voice that is respected and heard on both sides of the aisle."
As for the possible power shift in Congress, Matheson pointed to the moderate "Blue Dogs" coalition, which he said a number of the newly elected members will join. Because of that, liberal Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is the front-runner for speaker, may not drive the agenda.
Christensen did not go so far as to commit to another run but did say that he would be willing to look at any option where we could have an impact.
"I will serve wherever I can do good," Christensen said. "I really believe that Utah has a prominent role to play in the future of America."
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will return for a sixth term in the Senate after warding off hard-working Democratic challenger Pete Ashdown. While happy about his victory, Hatch was disappointed that Congress may not be controlled by Republicans.
"I've been in the Senate for 30 years," he said. "There has never been one day in 30 years where a majority has been conservative."
Ashdown, after traveling the state for almost a year and gaining national attention for his use of the Internet to reach voters, said that he had very few regrets about the race, even with a loss. Ideally, he would have liked more extensive debates with Hatch, but otherwise, he thought that the voters heard his message.
"I'm enormously happy with the campaign, with the ground I covered, and with the ideals I raised," Ashdown said. "These are things that will become more of a part of the discussion."
The closest congressional race in Utah this year was the 3rd District Republican primary between Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and John Jacob. In comparison, Cannon's race against youthful Democratic challenger Christian Burridge seemed like a cakewalk.
The issues focused on by Burridge were the scandals that have rocked the Republican Congress. Burridge repeatedly connected a former chief of staff for Cannon to the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. But otherwise, the race was probably most notable for its civility.
It was the only congressional race with a strong showing from a third-party candidate, as Constitution Party member Jim Noorlander was flirting with garnering 10 percent of the vote.
Unlike recent races, especially this year's primary, the race between Burridge and Cannon did not center on immigration. The Iraq war was also not much of an issue.
Cannon, like Matheson, suspected that the Democratic House would be moderate.
"What I'm really hoping is that the Democrats will want to be moderate and not extreme," he said. "And if they are, there are a whole bunch of issues that are really not partisan issues."
Burridge was optimistic about future Democratic successes in Utah, especially with the national victories this year. As for his race, he was proud of his accomplishments.
"We had a fraction of the money and took Cannon to task," he said. "There is a sentiment across the country that people are tired of the Bush administration and this Congress...Sometimes it takes a little time for things to percolate in Utah."
Jim Hansen, the former representative for the 1st Congressional District, is a name that still resonates in the northern Utah district. After Tuesday night's sound defeat of Democratic challenger Steve Olsen, current Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, seemed to be approaching the stature which Hansen carried, even if he repeatedly has promised that he will not try to match the 11 terms Hansen served.
"I'm still on the upswing in my ability to get things done," he said. "But I hope when I am on the downswing, I have the presence of mind to step aside."
Olsen spent much of his campaign trying to stake out ground similar to that of Matheson and other moderate Western Democrats who have found success in traditionally Republican areas. While Olsen did not bring many voters to his side of the aisle, he still felt that the message was starting to sink in for voters.
"What's really exciting is what's happening in the West," he said. "We've got a maverick, stubborn streak, and we look out for the little guys. I think that as the West becomes more 'blue,' Utah will be dragged along with it."
Contributing: Jeremy Twitchell, Deborah Bulkeley and Lee Davidson
E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com