Salt Lake's 1st all-female race could bring 1st Latina mayor

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Salt Lake City could elect its first Latina mayor if a state senator wins a Tuesday race against a city councilwoman who rose to prominence fighting pollution.

The two Democrats are already in the first all-female contest to lead the capitol city, a liberal-leaning island in deeply conservative Utah.

Utah State Sen. Luz Escamilla has touted her decade of experience in the state Legislature, and says she'd bring an important perspective coming from the city's traditionally working class west side.

City councilwoman Erin Mendenhall on the other hand, argues her two terms in office have given her a deep understanding of city government, and has pointed to her record as an activist for clean air in an area that sometimes has the dirtiest air in the country.