SALT LAKE CITY -- You could call them "The Senate Wives," but that would not cover it.
They are campaign managers and confidantes, and in one case, a co-worker.
"They" are wives of half a dozen Utah state senators, most of them from the Top of Utah, who spend time with their husbands or the other wives at the state Capitol during the session.
"They make it easier for us to do our work," said Sen. Michael Waddoups, the Senate president.
What this group of partners chooses to do is to band together, take trips or add to the daily life of the Senate floor instead of becoming "statehouse widows" for the 45-day run of the Utah legislative session.
To start, there is the working couple, the Knudsons, of Brigham City.
She is the Senate docket clerk, and he is the senator from District 17.
Pete and Georgi Knudson work every day on the Senate floor, doing the business of the session within sight of each other, as they have for a decade or so.
She actually started in the Senate as a clerk before voters supported his move from the Utah House to the Senate.
"It's a special privilege to come here," said Georgi Knudson, who added that the couple will often stay with local family members instead of making the drive north.
Over the years, the Knudsons have found themselves with differing opinions about bills.
It is then the docket clerk can tease the senator with a wink or nod when the bill she supports passes.
"He just ignores me. He is very loyal to his position," said the mother of four grown children.
Another couple are the Waddoups, of Taylorsville, who also own land near Bear Lake.
Michael is the Senate president, and his wife, Anna Kay, works the floor daily as a volunteer photographer, with shots that sometimes end up on the Senate Web site.
She also coordinates the ladies who do political lunch along with other group activities that range from visiting a food pantry to visiting a gun range.
"I like being involved. I like being able to carry on a discussion with my husband," said Anna Kay, who wasn't always interested in politics before her marriage.
She now seems to move easily about the chamber as she helps her husband survive the grueling later days of the session.
"It's their every waking thought. Our spouses are so involved," she said.
The Waddoups are a political team beyond the session. She is his campaign manager and has been for more than 20 years as he transitioned from the House to the Senate.
"It is a team effort for us. She is more personable. People vote for me because of her," said the Senate president.
Allen Christensen, of North Ogden, is the District 19 senator, while his wife, Janis, is a volunteer photographer who shares her work with all of the Senate families.
"My wife has only missed one day in six years," said Allen, a pediatric dentist.
Janis, like the other Senate wives, quietly works the sides of the room as the daily debate takes center stage.
"It is like every single bill here is on trial," said Janis, who said she enjoys watching what she calls "America in action."
On any given day, other wives, including Becky Jenkins, wife of Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, of Plain City; Susan Adams, wife of Sen. Stuart Adams, of Layton; and Sue Stevenson, wife of Sen. Jerry Stevenson, of Layton, may be seen at the Senate.
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