Becker wins Salt Lake helm by a landslide
2-1 vote gives Utah capital a non-LDS, Demo chief — again
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Becker will start his first four-year term as mayor in January, replacing retiring Mayor Rocky Anderson, also a Democrat.
Complete but unofficial results show a Becker landslide — 64 percent to 36 percent — a 2-to-1 victory not predicted in any pre-general election surveys. Approximately 43 percent of city voters went to the polls.
Becker said he and his staff worked hard "to present me as who I am" to voters. He said he now wants to "bring people together." And in that effort, he wants to use Buhler in some capacity.
Becker, an 11-year veteran of the Utah House, much of the time as minority leader, won the September primary election and never looked back. Becker spent about a half million dollars in his race, Buhler about $400,000. But money wasn't the issue — personal politics, political parties and vouchers on the ballot may have been.
Becker said he looks forward to implementing his "blueprint" for the city — an aggressive agenda of education, livability issues, environmental concerns, economic development and neighborhood public safety.
Buhler, an eight-year member of the City Council from his Sugar House neighborhood, appeared a bit stunned by the size of his loss. In 1991, in his first-ever candidacy, Buhler lost the mayor's race to Deedee Corradini, 55 percent to 45 percent.
Buhler certainly expected to do better this year. Instead, he fell well short — perhaps a victim of a perfect political storm of city voters unhappy with national Republicans, especially President Bush; unhappy with the GOP Legislature's private school voucher law (which lost 4-to-1 in the city); and Becker's strong, grass-roots campaigning.
Recent comments
OK guys, maybe some of you don't blog or read the comments that...
Sheesh.... | Nov. 8, 2007 at 2:10 p.m.
The fact that most of the voting stations were located near coffee...
Jerry | Nov. 8, 2007 at 12:18 a.m.
Mr. Becker stated last night that he will bring people together when...
Ken | Nov. 7, 2007 at 7:14 p.m.
