Salt Lake City Councilman James Rogers received 78 percent of the vote in last month’s primary election. In the general election, he’ll get 100 percent.
That’s because his District 1 opponent, David Atkin, withdrew from the race last Friday — past the county’s Sept. 14 deadline and too late to change by-mail ballots.
Atkin’s name will be on the ballots, but any vote for him will be voided.
He said Wednesday that he dropped out because he doesn’t have the money to fight Rogers, who was “probably going to win by over 60 percent,” and because “my family was raising hell with me over it.”
Atkin’s mother told him that even if he were to beat Rogers, “they‘ll make an idiot out of you.”
“And it‘s probably true, the way politics work,” said Atkin, who works in the computer industry and restores muscle cars.
Salt Lake City Recorder Cindi Mansell tried to persuade Atkin to stay in the race, even if he would rather spend time with his family than continue to campaign.
“What‘s sad to me is that the third-place candidate could have run if Mr. Atkin had withdrawn when he should have,” she said.
That candidate, Arnold Jones, could not immediately be reached Wednesday. Atkin received 12 percent of the primary vote, while Jones got 9 percent.
The deadline to become a valid write-in candidate was Sept. 8.
Atkin said he’s not necessarily done with politics, though: He’s considering a run for state or federal office.