The 1962 Election in Utah

Abstract

T HE OUTSTANDING feature of Utah's 1962 election was the degree of Republican party resurgence and the extent of its victory. Other features were an interesting Republican primary, a vigorous campaign featuring superior Republican organization and campaign techniques, the surprising effect of the Cuban crisis, the amount of split-ticket voting, the approval of two out of three proposed constitutional amendments, and a record off-year vote of 319,393, which represented 76.9 per cent of registrations. The principal officers to be elected in Utah's 1962 election were one United States senator, two United States representatives, the Utah attorney general for an unexpired two-year term,1 all of the members of the state House of Representatives, 12 state senators, some non-partisan district judges, and 234 out of 263 county officials. The degree of Republican resurgence is indicated by the fact that prior to the election the Democrats occupied both seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, controlled the state House of Representatives by 36-28, the state Senate by 14-11, held a lead of 146 to 117 in county offices and had high hopes of electing the attorney general and of unseating Republican Senator Wallace F. Bennett. At the election, however, the Republicans retained their Senate seat, swept both congressional seats, won control of both houses of the state legislature, elected the attorney general and became the holder of the majority of county offices by a margin of 133 to 130. This was accomplished as Senator Bennett won a third consecutive term by defeating Representative David S. King 166,755 to 151,656. Laurence Burton, in his first race for elective office, defeated Democratic incumbent Blaine Peterson by 59,032 to 56,989 in the First Congressional District. In the Second Congressional District, state Senator Sherman P. Lloyd defeated a fellow member of the Senate, Democrat Bruce Jenkins, by 108,358 to 92,631. Republican A. Pratt Kesler led the Republican vote-getters as he won the attorney general race over William Henderson by a margin of 170,534 to 144,269. Republican control of the state legislature was seized in a race that was so tight that it was not decided until the official canvass certified a number of very close races for the Republicans to give them an advantage of 33-31 in the House and 13-12 in the Senate. Constitutional Amendment No. 1, providing property tax exemption to widows of veterans killed in service, passed 213,669 to 49,520. Amendment No. 2, providing for the earmarking of gas tax revenues for highway purposes, passed 209,605 to 60,394. Amendment No. 3, permitting salary increases for state legislators from $500 per year to $1,200 per year, was defeated 71,745 to 186,473. Utah's nomination process, which requires both a pre-primary party nominating convention and an open primary, held unusual interest in 1962, especially