Democrat elected Salt Lake County auditor
Democrat Jeff Hatch was down 344 votes on election night but catapulted to a 1,235 vote lead after absentee, provisional and paper ballots were officially added to the tally Tuesday by the Salt Lake County Council.
"I'm shocked," Hatch said minutes after the final vote count was read Tuesday. "I just could not believe that we could go from such a small amount" to widening the gap so much that the race doesn't qualify for a recount.
Hatch credits the Democratic wave of support both in the county and nationwide for the upset of incumbent Republican Sean Thomas. A little credit also is due to Utah's Republican senior senator, Orrin Hatch.
"The name helped, too," Jeff Hatch admitted.
Democrats already control the mayor's office, with Peter Corroon at the helm, as well as the clerk's office. On election night, Democrats also took over the sheriff's office, as Jim Winder ousted Republican Aaron Kennard.
Utah Democratic Party chairman Wayne Holland said the party focused on bringing back to the polls Democratic voters who had neglected to vote in the 2002 election. That effort paid off for Hatch, and will ultimately pay off for other candidates in the future, Holland said.
Republicans still have plenty of power at the county: The County Council is ruled by a Republican majority, and Republicans also hold the offices of assessor, district attorney, recorder, surveyor and treasurer.
Davis, Summit, Utah and Tooele counties reported no change in election results in certifying their respective results.
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com
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