Summary of the Convention, on to the Primary!

I was very happy with the results of the Convention, and our campaign's execution at the Convention. I believe we surprised many delegates with our ability to effectively get our message out at the Convention. I was especially happy with our speech to the delegates - the nominations went great, none of my children started crying (though one did fall asleep), and the delegates really responded to our message.

Now we have a primary. It is a completely different race than the one we had at Convention. I heard one person tell me that the Convention is sort of like a boxing match, while the Primary is sort of like a football game. I think that is a good analogy. We are actively working on our strategy for the Primary election on June 22, 2010 when every single registered Republican in Utah County (over 200,000 voters) can vote for County Commission Seat A, even though if the Primary elections in June 2006 or June 2008 are any indication, we'll likely only get 20,000 to 30,000 voters to come out. And if we don't have a Senate Primary Race, we might get even fewer. In other words, it will once again likely be a race where a few highly discerning voters will determine the outcome.

Below are the articles on the Convention from the Daily Herald, Des News and SL Trib. I include the highlights immediately below:

DAILY HERALD (at http://bit.ly/cOItev ):

"The other incumbent, Gary Anderson, will have his hands full come June when he has a primary with challenger Joel Wright in what was a very close convention vote."

Great picture of my daughter during my speech to the delegates: http://bit.ly/bFpJLr
Picture of me giving my speech to the delegates: http://bit.ly/cuzYOZ


DESERET NEWS (at: http://bit.ly/cr9Yh7 )

"There will be a primary election for the other Utah County Commission seat, as incumbent Gary Anderson and Joel Wright split the vote, 52 percent to 48 percent.
Wright said he was satisfied to take the election to a Republican primary race.
"I'm really happy. It's very hard to take out an incumbent," he said."

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE (at: http://bit.ly/cM9ns8 )

"An anti-incumbent backlash swept one Utah County Commissioner out of office and forced another into a primary battle for the Republican nomination."

....

Anderson and Wright's race went to a second ballot, as neither of them got 60 percent on the first round. During the second round, with candidate Jim Vein eliminated, Anderson received 51.6 percent to Wright's 48.4 percent.
"It's very hard to take out a powerful incumbent, who has the support of powerful types," Wright said. But he said his message of fiscal responsibility and taking on Anderson's support for the Utah County Convention Center helped with delegates.
Anderson noted the convention's anti-incumbent tone, but said he was grateful he was still in the race. He said primary voters are more representative of the party's mainstream than delegates.
"I felt good coming out of there," Anderson said. "The voters know me."

END