Salt Lake mayoral campaign is full of twists

By Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb
Published: Sunday, June 24, 2007 12:17 a.m. MDT
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The Salt Lake mayoral race has taken an interesting twist with incumbent Rocky Anderson dominating the headlines and hinting he might run a write-in campaign if his favorite candidate, Keith Christensen, doesn't make it into the final election.

Given that development and others, inquiring minds want to know — If Anderson runs as a write-in candidate, can he win?

Webb: What a wild race that would be. If, say, Dave Buhler and Jenny Wilson survived the primary, and Anderson ran as a write-in against them, he could be a spoiler, but not a winner. He would look highly opportunistic and would make a lot of Democrats angry because he would split the Democratic vote and possibly hand the election to Buhler.

Pignanelli: Until one of the major candidates sparks serious interest by voters, Rocky remains the strongest contender — even as a write-in. Rocky would relish this unusual style of campaign (worth at least 3 CNN interviews). When asked why he is considering re-election, the Narcissist-in-Chief stated another four years "would offer me a lot of opportunities." Remember, it's all about Rocky!

Who benefits, or suffers, as a result of Councilwoman Nancy Saxton withdrawing from the race?

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Pignanelli: Saxton offered a compelling resume for mayor: self-made businesswoman, effective council member and a campaign focused on neighborhood issues. Unfortunately, she could not attract enough financial support. Ralph Becker is the happiest, as he and Saxton shared affection from similar constituencies. Of course, the Saxton departure leaves Jenny Wilson as the sole female — and gender will be an important consideration for many voters.

The candidates with GOP credentials — Keith Christensen and David Buhler — are disappointed. Saxton would have pulled Democrat votes and increased the potential of victory for a Republican in the primary. In prior mayoral contests without incumbents (1991, 1999), Democrat votes were spread among three or more aggressive candidates. Salt Lake has become more Democrat since then. With Saxton gone, a real possibility exists the two top vote-getters in the primary are Democrats Wilson and Becker.

Webb: Saxton was not gaining traction (which is why she withdrew), so I doubt having her out of the race will make a big difference. She could still surprise everyone and endorse one of the Republicans. We can play with numbers in a variety of ways, but there clearly is a large enough base of moderates and Republicans for Buhler or Christensen to emerge from the primary if they don't split the moderate vote too closely.

Former Councilman Keith Christensen is far ahead in fund raising; does this guarantee victory in the primary and a head start in the general election?

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