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Team coverageIt was a great night for Democrats, whether locally or nationally.
In House District 49, incumbent House Speaker Greg Curtis will give up his seat to Democrat Jay Seegmiller, who has run for the office three times.
Curtis sent us a statement that reads, in part: "I have taken the opportunity to call Jay Seegmiller and congratulate him on his election to the Utah House of Representatives. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as Speaker over the past four years."
Early on, polls also indicated that Sen. Chris Buttars would give up his Senate District 10 seat to Democratic opponent John Rendell; however, Buttars kept his seat.
Another tight race was in House District 51, where incumbent Greg Hughes had a slim lead over Democratic challenger Lisa Johnson. Hughes won with 51 percent of the vote.
Part of what was working for Democrats is Barack Obama's popularity. The thinking was if some Republicans and those who are undecided picked Obama, maybe they would choose Utah Democrats too, especially those in Salt Lake County.
Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland said, "Certainly that's gonna help, but I think, more importantly, we've got candidates in that area of the valley who are on their second or third times."
Holland continued, "It's a good environment for us. People want change, whether on a national level, and what they've experienced in Utah with closed-door caucuses and ethically challenged issues."
Meanwhile, another Democrat who won is Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. He said, "I'm a little nervous; sort of like school where you've gone through the whole semester and taken the final exam, and now you're waiting for the results."
Also, Salt Lake County will be controlled by a Democratic council. Republicans had a five to four lead on the council, but Democratic newcomer Jani Iwamoto beat Mark Crockett to flip the balance.
As soon as the official projection was made in the presidential race Tuesday night, there was pandemonium at the Salt Lake Radisson, Utah Democrats' headquarters for the night. One woman said, "I am so happy. A real change has come on." Another said, "It reminds me of a promise that [John] Kennedy brought." Yet another said, "It's history in the making. I'm glad to be part of it."
Rep. Jim Matheson said, "I think this is a pretty clear indication that people across this country are looking for a different way of doing business in Washington."
He also says, while this election is historic, the country also has historic problems. "Maybe once in a century we face this level of financial crisis."
Matheson says to really solve Americas problems, bipartisanship is key.
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