Withdrawals narrow state office races
Deena Ely, a Republican from Magna, lost her 2006 District 22 House of Representatives race against incumbent Democrat Rep. Carl Duckworth from Magna by a mere 33 votes. Now, despite being the only Republican in what has become an open seat, she has withdrawn.
Duckworth, currently completing his fifth term, withdrew his candidacy on March 26 to focus on his battle against cancer, though his wife, Sue Duckworth, who filed for the office along with her husband, will remain in contention along with two other Democrats. Ely announced her withdrawal on April 21 in a letter to the state election office.
"Regrettably, due to unforeseen and immediate personal & private family circumstances, I ... officially withdraw my bid for candidacy," Ely wrote.
In an interview Thursday, Ely said she was "hugely disappointed" but noted that "my family will always come first."
After the Democrats choose their nominee, either at their convention Saturday or in a June primary, the only remaining challenger will be Constitution Party candidate Thomas Mangum.
The next three weekends will decide a number of legislative races, or at least push candidates into a primary. This Saturday, the Salt Lake County Democrats and Utah County Republicans will have their conventions, while next Saturday will be the Salt Lake County Republicans and the Utah County Democrats.
The state conventions for both parties will be May 10. All legislative races with boundaries that cross county lines are decided at the state conventions.
In Utah County's District 56, the only Democratic challenger to incumbent Rep. Ken Sumison, R-American Fork, was forced to withdraw under provisions outlined in the 1939 Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from running for office. William Lejeune, an Eagle Mountain resident, found out shortly after he registered his candidacy that his full-time employment by the Utah Army National Guard created a problem.
Lejeune said that since his paycheck comes from the U.S. federal government, he is precluded from partisan political involvement. Thus, Sumison and intra-party challenger Jared Sepulveda of Lehi will run essentially unopposed after either the Utah County GOP convention or a primary. A Constitution Party candidate, Lehi resident Michael J. Barron, is the only other candidate running in District 56.
Recent comments
Looks like the Constitution Party is coming out of the woodwork....
Former Republican | April 25, 2008 at 11:05 a.m.
The reporter cited reasons why candidates dropped out of their respective...
Jeff | April 25, 2008 at 10:01 a.m.
