The tone was different over at the Democratic state convention, in an opposite corner of the Salt Palace Convention Center (you can imagine the parking situation downtown Saturday).
The marquee race there was between Rep. Jim Matheson, a five-term veteran of the U.S. House, and newcomer Claudia Wright, a former high school history teacher and progressive Democrat who came out of nowhere in February.
It's clear that Matheson lost a lot of friends in the party when he voted against President Obama's health care reform initiative. Wright came in with 45 percent of the delegates' votes to Matheson's 55 percent, forcing a primary in June.
http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15047103Blue dog versus a progressive!