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Utah Democrats are hoping this election year will bring sweeping changes on Capitol Hill. They've set their sights on two races in particular: those involving House Speaker Greg Curtis and Sen. Chris Buttars.
Both Speaker Curtis and Sen. Buttars have a fight on their hands this election year. Our poll took on a basic question: What are voters thinking right now?
While in the Senate last February, Sen. Buttars commented, "Sen. Stevenson, this baby is black, I'll tell you. It's a dark, ugly thing."
That comment put a target on Sen. Buttars. The NAACP vowed to help defeat him in November. His political foes claimed it was an indication of Buttars' prejudiced personal views and reflected on the bills he sponsored.
But now, seven months later, it does not appear Buttars is in danger. A Dan Jones poll for KSL and the Deseret News shows Buttars well ahead of Democrat challenger John Rendell, 55 percent to 27 percent.
Jones says, "The people in that senatorial district like Mr. Buttars. They feel that he has represented them and their will."
It's not the same for House Speaker Greg Curtis, a man in a powerful yet precarious position.
The Dan Jones poll shows Curtis is in an extremely close race with Democratic challenger Jay Seegmiller. Curtis is ahead by just 1 percentage point. Two years ago it was a similar situation. Curtis won the race by just 20 votes.
Jones says feedback from voters indicates lingering questions about whether Curtis truly represents his district.
"Individuals then say, ‘We want to go in and vote for someone who represents us,' and that's what he's going to have to show," Jones says.
Curtis has a reputation for being aggressive, ambitious, and sometimes abrasive. In addition, voters in Curtis' Sandy district are not as Republican as they were 10 years ago. That makes basic door-to-door campaigning crucial for both Curtis and Seegmiller this year.
Of course this is just a snapshot of where these particular races are at this point in the election season. A lot can happen before Election Day.
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
