D.A. race is up for grabs
Poll shows voters split among the 4 candidates
The Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll of 245 Salt Lake County residents, conducted last week by Dan Jones & Associates, showed they were split among the four candidates seeking to replace David Yocom, the veteran district attorney who decided not to seek re-election after 16 total years in office, including two consecutive four-year terms.
Many of those polled — 33 percent — just don't know who to pick.
Those who do know are divided among two Republicans and a Democrat. Lohra Miller, an outspoken Republican adversary of the Democratic Yocom, leads the pack with 26 percent, while Yocom's hand-picked Democratic successor, Sim Gill, trails by four points with 22 percent. The poll has a margin of error of 7 percent.
Kent Morgan, a Republican who currently works at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office under Yocom, garnered 14 percent. Rob Latham, a Libertarian, received just 3 percent.
For 15 years years, Miller has served as a prosecutor with Taylorsville, Cottonwood Heights and Holladay under a contract with her law firm, Miller and Miller. Gill currently serves as Salt Lake City's chief prosecutor, but he worked as a deputy prosecutor for Yocom for more than four years in the arson and fraud unit. Morgan has been a prosecutor for 22 years and has handled several high-profile cases, including the prosecution of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Eileen Barzee, accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart.
• Nearly half of all residents polled support giving Sheriff Aaron Kennard another term. Jim Winder, a Democrat, was endorsed by 25 percent of those surveyed, followed by Brent Cardall, a Republican, with 12 percent.
• Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen appears headed for another term, as she earned the support of 55 percent of those polled. Republican Carrie Dickson had 22 percent, while 17 percent didn't know who they would vote for.
The poll suggested a close race between incumbent Jim Bradley, a Democrat, and former Taylorsville Mayor Janice Auger, a Republican, for the open at-large County Council seat. Bradley is currently leading, with 37 percent of those surveyed supporting him, while Auger trails with 24 percent. Both candidates have a large pool of undecided voters to sway: 32 percent said they didn't know who would win their vote.
Other candidates for the open at-large council seat are Jimmy Cadman, a Personal Choice party candidate; Don Johnstun, a Libertarian; and Chuck Tripp of the Desert Green Party.
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com
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