By Paul Rolly
Salt Lake Tribune
April 30, 2006

Because certain sections of the Sunday newspaper are printed early, the deadline for this column was Thursday, two days before the Republican county conventions on Saturday.

But whatever the results turned out to be, and you are reading about them today, here are some implications that could affect the future of the Republican Party in Utah and the direction of the Utah Legislature.

If Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Provo, and Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Provo, have a primary for Hellewell's seat, which means neither got the required 60 percent of the delegate vote to eliminate the other, then watch for some pretty nasty campaign tactics that could sour voters in Utah County for a long time to come and cause some splits in Republican coalitions at the Utah Legislature. The mud even could end up splattering onto the shoes of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Here's why.

Delegates in that district received letters from an anonymous source recently calling Dayton a home wrecker and claiming she was living in adulterous sin.

The letter referenced the fact that Dayton's marriage is her husband's second. It didn't mention the fact she and her husband have been married for well over 20 years.

No one has accepted responsibility for the unsigned letter and Hellewell's campaign has denied any connection to it. But here is an interesting coincidence.

Eight years ago, Hellewell and fellow Republican Greg Soter were running against each other in the GOP primary to replace the retiring Sen. LeRay McAllister. Two days before the primary, an ad ran in the Utah County Journal that falsely claimed Soter favored abortion without parental consent, teaching children to accept homosexuality as normal and distributing condoms in schools.

Soter favored none of those proposals, but the ad justified the allegations by saying Soter was endorsed by the Utah Education Association. The phony ad worked. Out of more than 7,000 votes cast, Hellewell won by 104 votes. The ad was paid for by a mysterious group called Citizens for Utah's Values in Education. Hellewell denied any connection to the ad, just as he denied any connection to the scathing letter about Dayton.

But if the letter affects the race and Dayton loses, there could be some long-term consequences. Dayton has been endorsed by many of her colleagues in the House, particularly her fellow representatives in Utah County. There undoubtedly will be some bitterness toward Hellewell and anyone perceived to have supported him because of what many Republicans already are calling underhanded tactics.

It is said in Republican circles that Huntsman persuaded Hellewell to get back in the race after Hellewell earlier had announced he would not run for re-election. Huntsman reportedly was angry at Dayton for sponsoring legislation designed to weaken the governor's role in the budgeting process.

Because of that perceived relationship, the dirty campaign tactic against Dayton could strain an already tense relationship between the governor's office and the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the highly contended race in Senate District 9 in Sandy could demonstrate who in the Republican Party has the tightest control over Republican politics in the state.

There were five Republicans running in the race, and three have direct ties to already-established leaders in the party.

Wayne Niederhauser has the endorsement of former Senate President Al Mansell, who is the incumbent in that seat but is not running for re-election. Mansell enjoys a close relationship to Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, as does House Speaker Greg Curtis, which reportedly is why the Legislature passed a bill that gives substantial government assistance to the Real Salt Lake professional soccer team's efforts to build a stadium in Sandy.

Curtis has close ties to former Rep. Bryson Garbett, another Republican candidate in Senate District 9. Their relationship caused a stir in 2004 when former Rep. Loraine Pace, R-Logan, claimed Curtis, who at the time was House majority leader, killed a proposed $8 million state office building in Logan because it would have hurt Garbett, who owned a building in Logan the state was leasing for office space.

If Niederhauser wins the race, it will demonstrate that Mansell still has great power within the party and, because of that clout, the continued ability to push his pro-real estate developer agenda.

If Garbett wins, it is a plum for Curtis.

The third candidate with ties to the GOP elite is Jim Bennett, the son of Sen. Bob Bennett.