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Sarah Dallof reportingA controversial Utah senator takes a big step toward a new term at the Salt Lake County GOP convention. Senator Chris Buttars received just over 60 percent of the Republican delegates, meaning he will not face another member of his party in a primary election. Rather, his name will appear on the November ballot, alongside Democrat John Rendell.
The news is upsetting to some, including the NAACP. The president of the NAACP says it will be targeting the West Jordan district, encouraging voters who don't believe Sen. Buttars represents them to cast their ballot.
Buttars faced a lot of heat last legislative session. He was speaking about a school construction bill in the Senate when he said, "This baby is black I tell you. It's a dark ugly thing."
The NAACP called for his resignation. Buttars didn't step down but did apologize and now wishes the matter would go away for good. "I don't understand why they're trying to replay that. They've been doing it for months. Some of them have admitted to me they know I wasn't talking about human beings, I was talking about a bill," Senator Buttars told us in a phone interview Saturday.
Buttars beat out three other party members for the nomination, including Gary Armstrong. "We need someone who will stand up for us in our schools, our economy, in all those situations, and I don't think we've had that the past eight years," Armstrong said.
Standing behind Buttars is Senate leadership. This week Senate President John Valentine and others sent a letter to delegates asking them to keep Buttars as the Republican nominee.
Buttars will now face off with Democrat John Rendell, who's throwing his hat in the ring for the first time. He says, "The trick is to make sure people understand my message, and it's not, 'I'm not Chris Buttars,' but it's, ‘I offer a better choice.'"
Rendell plans to focus on education and water issues affecting his district, but he admits Buttars' past controversy will be what some focus on. "I believe it actually helps my campaign. I have a neighbor who's a Republican delegate who came over and pledged to vote for me," Rendell said.
Both men say their campaigns and fundraising efforts will be gearing up in the next couple of weeks. Right now they're resting and reflecting.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
