Shurtleff Counting on Momentum of GOP Win to Beat Richards in Fall

SHURTLEFF: "I just received Frank Mylar's phone message congratulating me on my victory and..."

Shurtleff and Mylar had to rely on voice mail to resolve the race, since both didn't know how to reach the other at election night parties away from their official campaign phone lines. And so the attorney general race was the last major contest to be publicly concluded, even though, through election night, Shurtleff's lead was wider than in the other two major races for governor and Utah's second district.

And it was a rather large lead--nearly 20 percentage points--especially considering most polls had the candidates neck and neck.

Mylar says he didn't count on the polls--but did point out that some predicted he would win. What he did count on, though, was that voters would see past what he called the "labels" placed on him by the media and others.

MYLAR: "You can marginalize somebody that's intelligent and rational and reasonable, by giving an 'ultra-' label to them or a 'right wing' label. And that marginalizes them in the eyes of many people to say, 'Well, this person's not very rational, you can't really sit down and reason with him.' I believe the things I stand for, the majority of Utahns stand for right beside me."

Shurtleff's better name recognition and his political connections, both mainly stemming from his year and a half as Salt Lake County Commissioner, were definitely ingredients in his victory.

Shurtleff says those advantages will also help him if he becomes attorney general.

SHURTLEFF: "My message has been that we need a leader in this office, we need someone with experience and that's known statewide who already has support statewide with sheriffs and county elected officals and attorneys. All those people I'm going to be working with. And I think that's the message we're sending out there, and people really bought--understood that and accepted it and I see this momentum building into a tremendous victory in the fall."

Shurtleff will face Democrat Reed Richards, who has worked for incumbent Jan Graham as Chief Deputy Attorney General.

Shurtleff will remain on the commission while he runs, he says, continuing to campaign nights and weekends.

Shurtleff says it was hard running a campaign and working full time and was conscious of the effect on his family. Still, a victory does help.

SHURTLEFF: "Daddy won. Does that make you feel happy? She's smiling--you can't tell that on the radio. (Laughs)"

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