Inside Dems HQ: Matheson claims victory over Love


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12:13 p.m. — Matheson finally makes an appearance and claims his prizeMatheson took the stage like a shadow made corporeal. He spent the night completely incognito and left even his own staffers and organizers wondering where he was at times. But when the race finally went his way and the crowd got wind of it, Matheson entered the room like no other candidate.

And still, you can tell the toll that the race has taken on him. McAdams is genuinely on cloud nine and every part of his body shows it. But Matheson was still subdued, held back a little.

Jim Matheson waits to take the stage as Ben Mcadams exists.
Jim Matheson waits to take the stage as Ben Mcadams exists.

Perhaps the combined stress of the race and of the evening could not be alleviated, even with a win. Perhaps not even with a big win. When someone comes that close to falling off a cliff, pulling yourself back on to solid ground doesn't sound like a reward so much as a second chance.

Surely all of this is victory. Two key races, a presidency, a solid foundation in downtown Salt Lake in the House and even an unexpected Carbon County win, all in the face of the so-called Romney Tsunami. But there's no doubting that even these wins were by the skin of the teeth. Everyone here is off to the suites to celebrate and forget about the races for a night, or even two. But soon enough, the planning will start again, the uphill battle will begin anew.

It'll probably be just as close next time.


12:03 p.m. — Only the President can interrupt Ben McAdams

A crowd of nearly 50 people followed Ben McAdams from the back of the room to the stage as word spread that the race had been called in his favor. He strutted on stage like he owned the entire building, and in a way he did. This is what all that waiting was for.

And he gave a great speech...for about two minutes.

Then President Obama kicked the door down, told McAdams to move along and said "It's my turn."

He didn't say that. That was a sort of metaphor. But it's close to true.

There were tears as McAdams took the stage and took his prize. And there were more tears as everyone turned to the giant projector screens, opened their ears, and heard a speech that probably took hundreds of hours to craft from the man who, for all intents and purposes, is the most important man in the known Universe.

President Obama has not left the building. He has owned the building for four years, and he's going to own it for four more. And when he leaves, you'll know it.

11:22 p.m. — Waiting, waiting and more waiting. Plus some worrying and wanting

It's late. We've all been here for six hours now. The bartenders are packing up, the local winners and losers are moving up to their suites to celebrate either the oncoming responsibility of office or the newfound freedom that comes with loss. There is absolutely no free food left, which deeply disturbs me, much more than any loss could have.

These are all things that compound the intense sense of waiting that pervades the room right now. McAdams is till up, but within the margin, as is Matheson, whose presence is felt negatively in the same way that a shadow is seen. With only about 20 percent of the votes counted since the polls closed at 8 p.m., there isn't much to do other than scrounge for leftovers and chat about the possibilities and the little wins, like a Democrat in an unimportant race in Carbon county.

The local Democratic organizers, folks like Chad and Mike, are hanging out in the parking lot smoking and wondering whether all the time they have spent pulling votes for Matheson will have been worth it this time around.

And then comes an update. Matheson is at 48.87 and Love at 47 percent. After hours of being just above 50 percent, worry seems to set in. I actually heard a few people gasp.

Chad and Mike were debating the possibility just a moment ago that Romney's guaranteed win in the state actually led to some complacency among voters and led to lower turnout. That's the opposite of what's been seen, but given the lead up until now it made some sense.

Now it's not so clear. With less than a percent separating Love and Matheson, there's absolutely no theorizing, strategizing or thinking left to do.

Only waiting and worrying.

10:32 p.m. — Concessions and confessions

Cooke, Smith and Howell have taken the stage to let their opponents know they may have lost but they have not been beaten back.

More than anything, the vibe here is one of standing strong. Nobody has any illusions about what party runs this state, least of all the Democrats who decided to take on some of the toughest races in the country, like Howell and Cooke.

But, at least for the night, at least in the face of yet another predictable loss, there is a line that they refuse to cross: Giving in.

But in the face of a slew of folks talking about the fact that they stood up to Goliath and lost, you can't help but see some mounting disappointment. It's almost as though the constant promise to continue fighting is itself a way of confessing: "What more can we do? How much harder can we try?"

As the night drags on, the crowd is a little thinner, a little more down and a facing a lot more reality after the re-election of President Obama.

10:02 p.m. — Peter Cooke addresses the crowd

Even in conceding to Governor Herbert, Peter Cook refused to back down from his staunch principles as a Democrat. Folks here ate it up. Even in a loss, Cooke knows how to come across as simultaneously humble and upbeat.

Peter Cooke
Peter Cooke

The disappointment can't be incredibly deep either for Cooke or the other Dems in the room, considering the trailing he's been doing in the polls for some time.

Nevertheless, it does seem to have put a damper on things a bit. We've passed the biggest win of all, and depending on how things go, it could be downhill from here. And still, no Matheson.

9:50 p.m. — Where's Matheson?

The elation is high, but one question that's on everyone's mind is "Where's Matheson?"

He has not yet made an appearance at the HQ, though the other major players are running around with grins and pumping fists.

Jim Dabakis gave a stirring speech after the election was called for Obama, declaring "I'm proud to be a Utah Democrat," and vowing to bring the party back bigger and stronger over the next four years.

But Matheson seems to be keeping to himself as his intenss and hard-fought race with Mia Love comes to a close. Still, he's ahead, though within the margin of error. One would expect him to be bumping elbows with his supporters and getting a confidence boost from the crowd. And maybe he is doing that — only behind closed doors.

Perhaps he deserves a little privacy after the race of his political career.


Four more years

The presidential election has just been called for President Barack Obama and the crowds at Dems HQ have gone wild. People are shouting, hugging, clinking glasses and chanting "Four more years" over and over.

Though their confidence in a Democratic win for the presidency was always high, it doesn't seem to have dampened their elation at a win. There are so few seats up for grabs here that the most important position in the world can't but bring joy to the faces of Utah's Democrats.

Though the races for the 4th District and County Mayor have a long way to go, there's a palpable uptick in everyone's mood.


8:34 p.m. — House District 26 candidate Angela Romero

SALT LAKE CITY — There are a lot of close races and razor thin margins, though it appears that Dems are up in two of those key races, Salt Lake County Mayor and the 4th Congressional District, both of which sent shocks through the increasingly large and boisterous crowd here at Democratic headquarters.

But one place where a win is guaranteed is State House District 26, where Democrat Angela Romero has carried the day.

"I'm really excited about the prospect of Democrats in Salt Lake City maintaining the seats that we already have," she said.

Angela Romero
Angela Romero

If the exit polls that show her at 69 percent are any indication, and of course they are, she should be replacing David Litvack in that district.

Districts like 26 are the solid foundation on which the rest of the Party in the state is built, and thought her position and race doesn't get all the attention of the close races in the state, they are essential to a functioning party here. And soon she should be one of the rocks that foundation is built out of.

She said education is the big issue that keeps her going and brought her into the world of politics. It's also something she said is extremely important to her constituency.


8:00 p.m. — Talking with Ben McAdams

I finally got a chance to catch up with Democratic candidate for Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams. He had a smile and his small child clinging to his side, but the battle to lead the county could definitely be seen in his eyes. Not so much tired as tense. He knows he's going to win, but that doesn't seem to take the nerves out of it for him.

He was as baffled as everyone else seemed to be by the results of a recent Salt Lake Tribune poll that put him behind GOP candidate Mark Crockett by ten points, even as internal polling and a KS/Deseret News poll showed them neck and neck.

"We knew it was wildly inconsistent with everything else we've seen," he said.

But this is what he was prepared for. He said he knew all along that the race would be close, and he knew he'd have to count on the crossover support that sustains every elected Democrat in Utah.

Regardless of the nerves, he wouldn't stop campaigning. Even one hour before the polls closed, he was calling folks and encouraging them to get out to and vote. It's totally cliche, but in a race like this one, every single vote counts.


7:43 p.m. — It's getting hectic

SALT LAKE CITY — There are three things that you see a lot of at this stage, only 45 minutes after the official party has started: People cheering every result they see on CNN, reporters playing on their phones and taking pictures with huge lenses, and Democratic politicians shaking every hand they see.

You could take all these things together and give it a single word: Hectic.

There's suddenly not enough time for anything. KSL's camera operators searching for KSL reporters who are off talking with Party leaders, bartenders unable to keep up with the orders, and the ever-present voice of Wolf Blitzer booming throughout the ballroom like Zeus shouting down from Mt. Olympus.

So hectic, in fact, that I really shouldn't even be typing this. I should be out schmoozing and chatting it up with the apparatchiks and organizers, supporters and candidates. But if I were doing that, then I couldn't be typing and updating this blog, which is what I am getting paid to do in the first place, and which is frankly more beneficial for you, the reader, since, well, you're not here and I am.

There's no clear answer. If only Zeus Blitzer would give me some information on what I should be doing instead of how badly Scott Brown is getting trounced in Massachusetts.

Inside Dems HQ: Matheson claims victory over Love

6:34 — Latino Democrats can't stop, won't stopFrank Cordovan is wearing a shirt that says "I Could Be Illegal." In fact, everyone at this particular table is wearing these shirts. And every person at this table is smiling because they are totally sure that Obama is going to win tonight.

"We can't loose," Cordovan said.

These folks from Centro Civico Mexicano have been pushing hard for Obama. Cordovan says that it will be the Latino vote that carries the day for the incumbent candidate. And like much of the rest of the country, he thinks 70 or 80 percent of Utah's Latinos will vote for the sitting president.

Desiree, a single mother, said that she got involved with the Utah Democrats because of education. She says she hate's Mia Love's education policies. She actually thinks Jim Matheson isn't far enough to the left for her taste.

Regardless, you can see the total confidence the folks from Centro Civico have in an Obama victory. They're sure they can't loose.


5:24 — Getting Started

SALT LAKE CITY — It's hard to get a read right now on how everything is going and how people are feeling. Mostly because there are very few people here. Lighting crews and hotel workers are still rushing to get everything set up and the KSL crew is munching on some delicious free food, (free for me anyway).

Hang on a sec, though...Yep. That's Ben McAdams walking in our direction, just days after what could prove to be a detrimental poll that had his opponent ahead by ten points. A KSL/Des News poll put him head to head with Mark Crockett. The Tribune later retracted the poll placed the two much closer. I'd better see what there is to see over there.


4:30 p.m. — Arriving at Dems HQ —

I'm just getting into the Sheraton hotel, where every important Democratic in the state of Utah will be tonight, and at this point I feel like it's important to note two simple things:

1) Let's get the elephant on out of the room. It should be acknowledged at the outset that I'm taking you on a journey into the headquarters of the less-important of the important people in the state. And they know it and I know it and you know it. But they are fighting hard anyway, and have been and will continue to fight, and it's possible that there will be some big wins today for the Utah Democratic Party, a state party that is probably more marginalized than anywhere else in the nation.

How does that fact affect Utah Democrats on a day like today, when all the work and all the time finally come to a head?

Hopefully some of them will talk to me about it. Certainly it doesn't seem to affect the passion with which they dive in to their work.

Decision 2012

2) Neither you nor I have been this close to some of the folks that shape the state of Utah and how the country and world view it. That's a tad nerve-wracking. For me, at least. Not so much for you, since you're not here. You're at a computer screen or squinting at your phone. But definitely for me.

But why should it wrack any of my nerves at all? These are ordinary citizens, just like the rest of us, with families and dogs and jobs. Or at least they should be. Shouldn't it be the easiest thing in the world? Maybe it will be. To be fair, I haven't yet spoken to anyone, so we'll see.

Above all, I'm admitting at the outset that I should stop musing on things. It can only lead to problems, and if I get started on musing this early, it's going to be a long night for all of us.

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David Self Newlin

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