David Leavitt, who was given the heave-ho at the state GOP Convention Saturday, issued a press release today to say he was standing by his decision to endorse Rep. Chris Cannon.

Well, OK. . . . We didn't know there was a question but, whatever.

The interesting thing, though, about the statement is the language used by the little brother of former Gov. Mike Leavitt to seemingly backhand both his former rivals -- Cannon and Jason Chaffetz -- with a single motion.

He starts off the statement by saying he kept his campaign focused on the need for statesmanship and civility.

Then he repeats his oft-made claim during the campaign that "Of course, I believe
there needs to be a change in Congress." Then the kicker: "However, after ten months of active campaigning with Jason Chaffetz, I came to the firm belief that Mr. Chaffetz
would be a worse choice than Mr. Cannon."

So instead of saying Cannon is the better choice, he frames it the other way.

Now, that's civility.

-- Dan Harrie

No chance

The Hill newspaper asked all 97 senators who are not currently running for president whether they would join the ticket of their respective party as the vice presidential contender. Some were funny, some were not.

Sen. Orrin Hatch: "Not on your life. I would not be asked anyway. I don't know anybody who wouldn't do whatever's best for the country, but in my case it's just not going to happen."

A valid point.

Hatch is now 74 years old, and combined with a 71-year-old John McCain, the duo would have a collective 145 years of experience heading into the White House. But a picture of the two doesn't really showcase the youthful exuberance strategists are probably looking for.

Would Bennett accept the vice president spot?

"Of course," Bennett told The Hill newspaper. "Big house, big car, not much to do. Why not?"

Good point.

Plus, the 5-foot-7 McCain could really benefit from a 6-foot-6 Bennett.

But, then again, Bennett is 74 years old, too. And I'm not sure Bennett would fit well into those undisclosed locations.

-- Thomas Burr

Ridgway Unloads

He was denied his spot as a delegate, but he got his time at the microphone. As a candidate for national committeeman, Ridgway was entitled to address the convention, and he used his opportunity to go after party leadership with gusto.

"We have a fundamentally corrupt system," Ridgway said, accusing Lockhart of lying about the party rules, denying him a seat while he and Bramble and Huntsman were allowed to cast votes as ex-officio delegates, similar to superdelegates in the Democratic process. He also took a shot at Bramble for allegedly using his influence to get a college class to build a float for the Utah County Republican Party.

"I think what we're going to do is blow the system up," Ridgway said. "We'll do this again next year."

David Drops Out
The results from the first ballot were surprising in one sense: Leavitt wasn't expected to do THAT badly

One Republican operative astutely pointed out: You know who's breathing easier now? Mike Leavitt.

It's a good point. After the White House weighed in for Cannon, it would be hard to believe that the former governor, now Secretary of Health and Human Services, wouldn't have been called on for a boost.

He survived to the second round of voting, but the writing was on the wall and negotiations were already underway for Leavitt to throw his support to Cannon.

Which brings us to . . .

Signgate

Probably the biggest stink of the convention came after the second round of balloting. With Leavitt eliminated, his young squadron of staffers marched up the aisles of the arena and up the stairs carrying Cannon signs.

The place exploded in a chorus of boos. You can see some the display here, but I don't know that it does justice to the raucous booing that greeted the staffers.

As I interviewed Cannon, he was confronted by an angry Rich Kuchinsky, a delegate and, going way back, a Merrill Cook backer in the days the two congressmen hated each others guts.

"I've seen a lot of crap, but this is the worst," shouted Kuchinsky. Cannon tried to convince Kuchinsky to keep it down, noting that he was talking to a reporter. "I know Bob Gehrke," Kuchinsky shouted. Note: EVERYONE knows Bob Gehrke.

"You have people behind you to do this kind of stuff and you wonder why you're in trouble?" the K-man bellowed.

"That's Leavitt's supporters and he feels very strongly about it," Cannon explained.

But If what Cannon was suggesting was that the Leavitt supporters organized together, got 30 or so signs, gathered at the back of the arena and marched up the aisles all on their own accord, it's a bit tough to swallow. The whole show was orchestrated by Cannon.

So what difference did the endorsement make? It's a little tough to tell. Leavitt had 161 supporters. In the last round of balloting, with Leavitt eliminated, Chaffetz picked up 34 votes, Cannon picked up 35. But it's impossible to exactly how much of that difference was a result of Leavitt delegates and, say, whose supporters just left before the third round.

-- Robert Gehrke

Chaffetz Explosion
It's hard to know exactly how much difference these convention speeches make. Chaffetz says his was the same speech he's been giving for more than a year, and he delivered it with gusto.

Stylistically, it was not astounding. But following on the light appetizers offered by Leavitt, the crowd was hungry for red meat and Chaffetz offered it up.

Not only did he touch on the hot button issues, he delivered roundhouse kicks: No amnesty, English only, no federal education system, entitlements slipping toward socialism, strong defense, limited government, on and on, for the full seven minutes.

Again, how much difference the speech made, we'll never know. But if there were uncommitted anti-Cannon folks in the house, it's a safe bet how they ended up voting.

Rusty Cannon
That leaves Cannon, who also trotted out a video presentation, and there could be no question he was the establishment candidate, rolling out party elders, but whiffing on his vision for the future. Cannon's video featured endorsements from John Harmer, the No. 2 to Gov. Ronald Reagan in his California days; Sens. Hatch and Bennett; and excerpts from the letter of endorsement by President Bush.

It's hard to believe that, had the White House not delivered on that letter a week before the convention, Saturday could have marked the demise of Chris Cannon. You also have to think, after putting themselves on the line like that, there were some nervous folks at the Republican National Committee who didn't want to see a Bush-backed veteran incumbent knocked off at convention.


Meet My Kids . . .
Bruce Hough, a former Utah GOP chairman, took an interesting approach in his bid for Republican National Committeeman: Did I mention my kids are on Dancing With The Stars?

Yep. Jullianne and Derek Hough are the pro dancers who perform on the show.

Hough won the spot. Quite easily, actually.

-- Robert Gehrke

The state GOP convention kicked off a little like a sputtering jalopy. Chairman Stan Lockhart stood at the podium and went through the normal niceties recognizing the organizers and party types, but when it came time for the report on the credentialed delegates, it wasn't ready. So we waited. And waited.

Someone from the audience suggested a round of applause for men and women serving or who have served in the military. A great idea! said Lockhart, and asked everyone to stand. Then more awkward silence before someone shouted out that there should be a round of applause for the Utah Jazz, and the Jazz got an ovation. More waiting. Then someone suggested applause for the spouses of military men and women. Sure! said Lockhart. Then he took the initiative to offer a resolution supporting David Archuleta in his American Idol competition, which drew applause.

Finally, Sen. Curtis Bramble, who was in charge of credentials hurried onto the stage and made the announcement of how many delegates were certified to vote. The delay was a challenge to the report by Mike Ridgway, a Salt Lake County Republican gadfly, who had been elected at his caucus, but was specifically denied credentials by the county party's executive committee.

Ridgway wasn't seated, and he unloaded on Lockhart and party leadership. A little more on that later.

Balloonatics
The Friday night before the Saturday convention, as preparations were underway for the main event, it became pretty obvious that David Leavitt planned to do a balloon drop in the main arena at the end of his speech.

Chaffetz, according to a Republican on the scene, was incensed and didn't want the balloonacy to interfere with his speech. He challenged the balloon drop up and down, scouring the rule books, but came up empty.

So when Leavitt's speech ambled as near to a crescendo as it would get, about six rows on the floor, including the area where press was seated, were buried in balloons (although about a third of them never dropped) as a smattering of applause washed over the arena. I don't think the placement was an accident, since smothering reporters would have kept us from writing about . . .


The Worst Campaign Video
Those of you who were there know what I'm talking about. Those who weren't will never fully appreciate the utter awfulness of Leavitt's slickly produced, astonishingly vapid and Velveeta cheezy intro video.

The whole thing starts oddly enough. A firebell rings, a fireman grabs his boots. Is it all worth it? he asks, climbing into the truck. Then there's Leavitt, at the firestation. Why's he there? It's unclear. But apparently this is what Leavitt does, loiter out at firestations to inspire the firefighters.

"There's always hope," he exhorts. "When we work together, there's hope."

The fire engine rolls out, cue music: Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The U.S.A." Open with shots of Ground Zero after Sept. 11. Flooded streets in New Orleans. Then the predictable inspirational fare, people working together, slapping each other on the back, smiling, families, churches, scout troops, if I recall, with the words like restore, rebuild, renew, resolve, over the inspiring images.

Then the payoff: A fireman lifts a child and cradles him, carrying him out of the burning house. For me, it reminded me of the famous shot after the Oklahoma City bombing, but that's probably not what they were going for. It is, of course, our fireman from the intro, inspired to great things by Leavitt's message of hope.


Back at the firestation, Leavitt delivers the capstone.

"We're at a decisive moment in this nation's history. We've got to come together," he says.

I guess that was the message and he did little to elaborate on it during his speech which took up the remaining few minutes. Even for Mike Leavitt's kin, this was a roundabout, cotton candy way to make his case. This audience was a thousand plus of the most politically committed Republicans in the state and they wanted specifics. They were missing, and the absence was made so much worse by what followed.

-- Robert Gehrke

by Robert Gehrke

Rep. Chris Cannon will face a primary with Jason Chaffetz, a former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who surprised observers by coming within a handful of votes of knocking the six-term incumbent out of office.

"A win is a win," said Chaffetz, who will be on the June primary ballot. "We're going to go out and take it to Cannon right from Day 1."

Chaffetz captured 563 Republican delegate votes, or 59 percent of the total. Cannon received votes from 391 delegates, 41 percent of the total. Chaffetz could have captured the nomination outright with 60 percent of the vote -- a swing of just 10 votes.

“Utah has a very interesting political system. We love it. A guy can get 600 people to vote for him and he can be a congressman,” said Cannon, who now heads into a June 24 primary, where he said he will run on his record of getting things done for Utah.

Cannon received the endorsement of David Leavitt, the former Juab County Attorney and brother of former governor and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who was eliminated in the second round of balloting.

Before the final vote, Leavitt's staffers in orange shirts carried Cannon signs up and down the aisles of the convention hall -- likely a violation of the convention rules, drawing lusty boos from Chaffetz supporters.

"You're that desperate Chris Cannon? You're that desperate? That's garbage!" delegate Rich Kuchinsky yelled at Cannon, as state Sen. Howard Stephenson shouted at the volunteers to remove the signs from the polling area.

Cannon said the signs were being carried by young Leavitt supporters who were eager to show their support and unaware of the rules.

By Sheena McFarland

Utah Democrats chose the "good jobs, good education, good health" candidate Bob Springmeyer as their candidate to run against Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Before Springmeyer was nominated, he made a surprise nomination of Josie Valdez for lieutenant governor.

"We're in this to win," Springmeyer said, pointing to "all the energy of the new people" attending the convention this year.

He sees winning the governorship as "a simple numbers game." He says 39 percent of Utahns consistently vote Democrat while 41 percent vote Republican.

"The math is easy. If we can get 12 to 15 percent, we'll win," said Springmeyer, president of economic management consultant firm Bonneville Research.

Valdez's nomination was welcomed with a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd packed into the South Ballroom of the Cal Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center.

"My task is to help unite and grow the party and see victory in November," Valdez said. "We stand united and united we shall win."

She would, if elected, become the first-ever Latina to serve as Utah lieutenant governor.

"I chose Josie because of her skills," said Springmeyer, adding that he consulted with several county party chairmen and Valdez's name kept coming up. "The fact she is Latina is just a bonus."

During his speech, Monty "Millionaire" Nafoosi detailed his plan to provide rentable Utah-made electric cars to residents to "end wars for oil."

Matt Frandsen presented his bracketed income tax plan to reduce the burden on Utah taxpayers, he said.

Salt Lake County councilman Joe Hatch won the national committeeman post against incumbent Bill Orton, a former congressman. Sen. Scott McCoy had mounted opposition to Orton's re-election because Orton supported McCoy's Republican challenger when he ran for the state Senate in 2006.

Patrice Arent beat out Billie Gay Larson for national committeewoman. Incumbent Helen Langan did not run for the position this year.

In the House race for District 53, which covers Summit and Morgan counties, Kathy Lofft beat out rival Ryan Jensen with 86 percent of the nomination. She will face Republican incumbent Rep. Mel Brown.

In the House race for District 69, which was vacated by Rep. Brad King, of Price, two candidates each garnered 50 percent of the vote. Grady McEvoy and Christine Watkins will face off in a primary election June 24.

smcfarland@sltrib.com

by Robert Gehrke

David Leavitt was eliminated on the second round of balloting at the Utah Republican Convention today, setting up a final-round showdown between Jason Chaffetz and six-term incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon.

Leavitt endorsed Cannon in the final round, and his staffers, wearing orange Leavitt shirts, carried Cannon signs up and down the aisles of the convention hall -- likely a violation of the convention rules, drawing lusty boos from Chaffetz supporters.

"You're that desperate Chris Cannon? You're that desperate? That's garbage!" delegate Rich Kuchinsky shouted at Cannon, as state Sen. Howard Stephenson shouted at the volunteers to remove the signs.

Cannon said the signs were being carried by young Leavitt supporters who were eager to show their support and were unaware of the rules.

Later, Leavitt appeared alongside Cannon to wave and shake hands, and they were again booed loudly as delegates shouted "Get out of here!"

Tempers also flared as Cannon and Chaffetz supporters traded glares and insults after a Chaffetz' supporter accused a Cannon staffer of breaking rules by passing out material in the convention hall. The two had to be physically separated as they glared at each other.

Chaffetz prevailed on the second ballot with 529 votes, or 50.6 percent. Cannon finished second with 356 votes (34 percent) and Leavitt received 161 votes (15 percent) and was eliminated for the final round of voting.

If no candidate receives 60 percent of the delegate vote, Cannon and Chaffetz will meet in a June primary.

There also will be a third ballot in the 2nd Congressional District race. Bill Dew finished first with 57 percent of the vote and Merrill Cook second, with 28 percent. Brian Jenkins was eliminated with just 14 percent.

In the hotly contested state Treasurer's race, state Rep. Mark Walker scooped up 58 percent of the delegate vote -- just short of the 60 percent mark needed to eliminate deputy Treasurer Richard Ellis. The two will go to a primary election.

-- Cathy McKitrick contribued to this report

by Cathy McKitrick

OREM -- After three rounds of voting, Republican delegates at today's state convention trimmed a crowded field of six candidates to one, selecting Sandy homebuilder Bill Dew as their nominee in the 2nd Congressional District.

Dew will face a fierce fight against four-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Jim Matheson, a centrist who enjoys broad approval in a district that spans the lower third of the state and reaches up to include a big portion of Salt Lake County.

In the first round, Dew, who pledged $500,000 to seed his own campaign, garnered 49 percent of the vote, former U.S. Congressman Merrill Cook took 31 percent and newcomer Brian Jenkins, a Saratoga Springs loan officer, hung on with 15 percent.

Nixed in the first round were South Salt Lake truck driver Don Ferguson, Sandy author and economist Kenneth Gray and Southern Utah University student Chris Jacobs, who did not deliver a stump speech Saturday.

Dew took 57 percent in the second round to Cook’s 28 percent and Jenkins was eliminated.

In the third and final round, Dew won 69 percent of the delegate vote to capture the GOP nomination.

“He seems like the most reasonable candidate, the most likely to be able to compete against Matheson,” said Richard Abbott, a Draper delegate.

Holladay delegate David Bjarnason acknowledged he was torn between Cook -- who he believed was dynamic and capable of waging a serious campaign -- and Gray with his strong views on energy independence.

“Jim Matheson has such a strong brand that any of our candidates will have a hard row to hoe,” Bjarnason said.

By Sheena McFarland

Utah Democrats nominated Josie Valdez for Lietuenant Governor even before delegates had a chance to vote for governor.

During gubernatorial candidate Bob Springmeyer's speech, he suspended the rules and nominated Valdez, former assistant director of the Small Business Administration Office in Salt Lake City, as a running mate.

Valdez is a national delegate supporting Barack Obama. Her husband is Rep. Mark Wheatley.

"My task is to help unite and grow the party and see victory in November," Valdez said. "We stand united and united we shall win."

Springmeyer called himself the "good jobs, good education, good health, clean air and clean water" candidate.

Monty "Millionaire" Nafoosi detailed his plan to provide rentable Utah-made electric cars to residents to "end wars for oil."

Matt Frandsen presented his bracketed income tax plan to reduce the burden on Utah taxpayers, he said.

Final voting tallies for all candidates won't be available until later this afternoon.

Springmeyer is expected to win the nomination and go on to the formidable task of challenging Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.., whose approval rating in public opinion polls is towering.

By Robert Gehrke

Jason Chaffetz emerged as the leader in early balloting at today's Utah Republican Convention, propelled by a fiery speech before more than a thousand state delegates who will determine the Republican nominee for the 3rd Congressional District.

Chaffetz received 469 votes on the first ballot (46 percent), with six-term incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon with 338 votes (33 percent) and David Leavitt with 220 (21 percent).

Those three advance to a second round of balloting this afternoon, with a potential third round if no candidate gets 60 percent of the vote.

Chaffetz dished out heaping portions of red meat to the delegates, calling for the repeal of No Child Left Behind, dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education, strong immigration enforcement with no earned citizenship, and entitlement reform to stop the country from "sliding toward socialism."

He also took a shot at his former boss, the governor.

"Jon Huntsman, as much as I like you, you're wrong on global warming. It's a farce," said Chaffetz, Huntsman's former chief of staff, to applause.

Candidates Stone Fonua and Joe Ferguson were eliminated on the first ballot.

Both Leavitt and Cannon opened with glossy presentations, Cannon's featuring endorsements from Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and a letter from President Bush.

Leavitt's showed him encouraging a fireman not to give up hope, and images of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and flooded streets in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." playing.

"America's promise is in danger of fading away," Leavitt said. "Our's is the duty to restore America's promise."

(AP) -- The Utah Democratic Party has named a Barack Obama supporter as its sixth superdelegate.

Kristi Cumming was named to the post following the party's annual fundraising dinner last night.

Cumming's selection narrowed Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead among superdelegates nationally to less than one. Obama also picked up nine superdelegates from other states Friday.

Of Utah's six superdelegates, three are pledged to Obama and two are pledged to Clinton.

U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson is the only superdelegate not to have stated publicly who he is supporting.

He says he wants to wait until all of the state primaries are over before making a decision.

Superdelegates are party leaders who attend the national convention as delegates by virtue of their positions. They are not selected in primaries and caucuses.

-- Associated Press

By Sheena McFarland

Congressman Jim Matheson told fellow Democrats that 2008 is a "year of opportunity" at the state Democratic Convention today.

"This is my fifth election, and it's different than the last four," he said. "Voters are taking their vote much more seriously, and when you're in the minority party, you need voters to take the time to consider their vote seriously."

But he cautioned Democratic candidates not to take their campaigns lightly. He encouraged candidates to walk door-to-door and to listen to voters.

He says visiting with constituents is what led him to pledge on three issues: Keeping foreign nuclear waste out of Utah, proposing and voting for only fiscally responsible bills and to continue voting to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, a bill that President Bush has vetoed twice.

"We have an opportunity in 2008. You can sense it. You can feel it in your neighbors and colleagues," he said. "But I'm not conceding one vote in the 2nd Congressional District, and anything I can do to help other Democratic candidates, I will."

By Robert Gehrke

Becky Edwards, the daughter-in-law of former Brigham Young football coach LaVell Edwards, forced Rep. Paul Neuenschwander into a primary in the first matchup of the Utah Republican Party Convention today.

Edwards received 40.38 percent of the vote, narrowly escaping elimination and forcing the first-term Bountiful representative to a run-off in June.

In her speech to delegates, Edwards said she understands the "kitchen table issues that get put off session after session by the Legislature," and said she would "represent the voters in this district, not special interests."

She pointed to an omnibus education bill, passed during the last legislative session, that rolled together a number of controversial measures, some that had been voted down previously, as an example of the "arrogance" of legislators.

Neuenschwander emphasized his efforts to keep his constituents informed and increases for public education during his two years in the Legislature as reasons he should be re-elected.

In District 19, state Sen. Allen Christensen, of North Ogden, fended off a challenge by Alvin Lundgren, and will go on the November ballot without a primary.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain, knocked out challenger J. Lane Henderson and moves on to face Democrat Kenneth Peay in the general election.

In House District 14, Rep. Curtis Oda, of Clearfield, bested Christopher Williams with more than 60 percent of the vote to clinch the GOP nomination.

The contests were the first decided at the state convention today, with the higher profile showdowns to be decided later in the day, including the hotly contested battle for the Republican nomination in Utah's 3rd Congressional District.

Six-term incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon has faced a primary in his last two re-election bids, and is facing perhaps his toughest opposition to date in David Leavitt and Jason Chaffetz.

Leavitt, who is the former Juab County Attorney and brother of former governor and current U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, says he anticipates there will be a primary and Cannon will be in it, thanks to an endorsement letter last week from President Bush.

The question, Leavitt says, is whether it will be he or Chaffetz, the former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who will face Cannon in the June contest.

State delegates will also vote for their nominee for State Treasurer, choosing between the current deputy treasurer Richard Ellis and state Rep. Mark Walker, and will choose among six candidates vying for the chance to face Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson in the state's 2nd Congressional District.

There is also the potential for a fight over which presidential candidate the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention will support in September.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the state's primary with 90 percent of the vote, and under current rules, Utah's national delegates would have to support him. But the party is considering a rules change, at Romney's request, that would allow the delegates to back Arizona Sen. John McCain.

However, there is a large contingency of supporters of Rep. Ron Paul's presidential bid who are trying to get elected as national delegates. If the rules are changed, they could cast their votes for Paul at the national convention.

At Thursday evening's ACLU of Utah Bill of Rights Celebration, Master of Ceremonies Chris Vanocur welcomed the crowd of more than 500 with a smile, then turned grim.

"Because of a last-minute scheduling conflict," the Channel 4 newsman said with a sigh, "Senator Chris Buttars will not be here tonight."

Buttars, you will recall, was the utterer of the infamous "black baby" comment during a Utah state Senate debate earlier this year. The regular sponsor of anti-gay rights legislation, he was already a pretty big long-shot for the civil liberties organization's annual Torch of Freedom award.

Perhaps not coincidentally, that award (alas, it was not a real torch) went this year to Sen. Ross Romero, "an indispensable ally of civil liberties."

Romero also happens to be the only Senator among more than two dozen who heard Buttar's "dark ugly thing" reference who complained to leaders.

-- Matthew D. LaPlante

Salt Lake County created a snoop-into-Kennecott committee to find out if the copper giant's Magna tailings pile can withstand a major earthquake.

But County Council Chairman Michael Jensen stumbled over his words in describing the gamut of personalities on the panel -- ranging from Kennecott defenders to outspoken opponents such Michael Sullivan, who once threatened a class-action lawsuit against the company.

On one side of the spectrum, Jensen characterized some panelists as "very negative." But the Republican then revised his description -- with the disclaimer that the words might not be quite right -- to "almost hostile."

Democrat Joe Hatch came to his colleague's aid, offering this politically correct label for peeved Magna panelists: "Good-faith skeptics."

Jensen never got around to labeling the pro-Kennecott crowd, but described the committee afterward as a "good balance of skeptics and people who were concerned but wanted to make sure [an independent probe] goes forward."

-- Jeremiah Stettler

Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch jabbed at the Legislature this week in backing an $8.7 million funding package for the Sandy Amphitheater and nearby recreational venues.

While colleagues clamored about the money lightening Sandy's budget burden and perhaps allowing the suburb to sink more cash into a Real Salt Lake soccer stadium -- a sore spot after Sandy, with the Legislature's help, snatched millions in county hotel taxes for the professional soccer venue -- the Democratic councilman said he wouldn't hold a political grudge like lawmakers on Utah Capitol Hill.

The Republican-dominated Legislature, he said, repeatedly has penalized left-leaning Salt Lake City for its politics.

Hatch didn't mention the $35 million slap against Salt Lake County when state lawmakers resurrected the soccer-stadium deal (with county dollars) after the county rejected it.

"I don't want to be a little Legislature and say, 'Because you've done something I don't like, I'm not going to be a good partner with you,'" he piped. "I'm going to fight that kind of attitude because, under it, we would not only not do this deal, we wouldn't do any deals with Sandy ever again until we are behind this thing. And that is just inappropriate."

After a blistering debate, the County Council approved the amphitheater agreement.

-- Jeremiah Stettler

I recently blogged about a history of Republican loyalty tests in Utah, recounting the infamous purge of local Salt Lake County party leaders a few years back because they had (gasp!) endorsed a Democrat.

In contrast to that, I pointed to the Summit County Democratic Convention, where a candidate (Chris Robinson) who had donated thousands of dollars to Republicans was nevertheless overwhelmingly given the nomination he was seeking.

But now comes a story that shows Democrats can be every bit as intolerant of party folk consorting with the enemy as anyone.

Seems that state Sen. Scott McCoy is trying to deny former Congressman Bill Orton re-election as Democratic National Committeeman. His crime? Endorsing a Republican.

Not just any Republican mind you. This Republican -- Joe Jarvis -- ran against McCoy in the last election. He lost. But McCoy remembers.

We'll find out at Saturday's Democratic State Convention how much the loyalty litmus test matters among Donkeys.

-- Dan Harrie

Packed House
The caucus meeting to decide the fate of Sen. Chris Buttars at the Salt Lake County GOP convention devolved into a testy game of musical chairs Saturday, as delegates jockeyed for position in the packed meeting room. The party officials conducting the meeting repeatedly demanded that those who were not delegates get out of the chairs and leave the room to make way for the delegates, who were lining the back walls and sitting on the floor at the front of the room.

Some delegates demanded to see the credentials of those seated in the hall, and after a few were initially chased out, an impasse was reached.

The tug-of-war continued for a good 20 minutes, with a fair amount of griping and grumbling. An official from the South Towne Center hosting the event had to come in and clear people away from the aisles and the emergency exit, and cleared a path among the dozens standing at the door hoping to watch the balloting.

One keen delegate finally captured the obvious hopelessness of the exercise: There were about 170 seats in the room for the 204 delegates in the Senate district.

Another 10 minutes passed before County Party Chairman James Evans announced that everyone would march back into the main assembly hall where the election speeches were given from the main stage.


No Tongue
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has mended fences with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, after Reid blasted Utah and Arizona for failing to act more aggressively to crack down on polygamy. But he told the Republican audience that when Reid called and said he wanted "to kiss and make up," it kind of grossed him out.

He also took a shot at Reid for telling KUER's Doug Fabrizio that Utah and Arizona should be "ashamed," for not doing more to fight polygamy. As Shurtleff saw it, with Reid's homestate allowing legalized prostitution and gambling, that's something like Paris Hilton saying she's ashamed of Miley Cyrus.

Everyone is up in arms, of course, over the photos of Cyrus' naked back, claiming it objectifies underage girls. Maybe the 15-year-old bubble gum princess would be better off if she lived in an FLDS community, where she could be the fully clothed mother of two.


Vote Cook for Whatever
The approach to the South Towne Center was lined with signs from all sorts of candidates, including a surprising number that said "Merrill Cook for U.S. Congress." It's an even year, so Cook is running for something, of course, this time for the GOP nod to take on Rep. Jim Matheson in the 2nd District.

The signs, however, are leftovers from his last campaign, where he took on 3rd District Rep. Chris Cannon for the Republican nomination.


Power Failure
Rep. Sylvia Anderson had a veritable Murderers Row on her team as she tried to stave off a challenge from LaVar Christensen, who held the seat before his failed challenge to U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson.

Standing with her as she addressed delegates Saturday were Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble; House Rules Committee Chairman Steve Urquhart; Rep. Becky Lockhart, the wife of the state party chairman; Rep. Lorie Fowlke; and Sen. Wayne Neiderhauser, who represents the Sandy district.

But the Mighty Caseys struck out in this case, as Christensen, who stood and delivered his speech alone, routed Anderson in a 70-30 percent vote to capture the nomination.

Christensen did allude in his speech to a seperate endorsement gaffe by Anderson, who included Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert among her supporters in her literature. Herbert said he likes Anderson, but hadn't signed off on the endorsement and, to balance the battle, wrote a letter praising Christensen's candidacy, as well.

-- Robert Gehrke

Newly nominated as a federal judge -- but not yet confirmed -- Salt Lake City attorney Clark Waddoups was known as the lawyer for a couple of recent high-profile cases including pressing the court fight against the anti-voucher referendum.

Well, everyone has a past and folks that know him say he can be impartial and fair-minded if/when he takes the bench.

One thing, though, he ought to take care of before the nomination process fully revs up -- he ought to withdraw as a registered lobbyist for the pro-voucher group Parents for Choice.

As of today, the Lieutenant Governor's Office still has his registration for the group as "active."

-- Dan Harrie