The Utah Medical Association is sponsoring a fund-raiser today for Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, who is a dentist.

The invitation to the luncheon at Fiddler's Elbow in Salt Lake City says the host is Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, the Senate's assistant majority whip.

Why is that news?

Senate insiders say Killpack is positioning himself to run next November against John Valentine for the Senate's top position.

Playing host to fund-raisers for other senators is a traditional way on Capitol Hill to curry favor from colleagues if one wants their support for a leadership position.

Two years ago, Valentine was challenged by Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, for the Senate presidency. But Waddoups is in a tough convention fight for his very survival at the Senate, with the word out that many pro-public education delegates were elected in his district and he supported vouchers.
Stay tuned.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

As Republican Party insiders, legislative leaders and Eagle Forum soldiers work to save the political career of controversial Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, the latest would-be savior may turn out to be more trouble for Buttars' campaign than a help.

Just days before the Salt Lake County Republican convention this Saturday, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, has been calling delegates in Buttars' district urging them to vote for him.

Her basic argument to those delegates who might be a little concerned about some of Buttars' recent actions is that he opposed the Jordan District split, which most people in his west-side area also opposed.

But after Dayton launched that discussion among delegates about Buttars' opposing the split, one erstwhile delegate did some research and found that the split was made possible by a bill in 2003 that Buttars helped usher through the Legislature.

That was the year of House Bill 169, which set up the process of creating new school districts and set the table for the eventual split that only east-siders got to vote on.

When the bill passed the House and went to the Senate, Buttars argued for its passage in the Senate Committee, where it passed by just one vote — Buttars' vote being the difference. It then passed by one vote in the Senate, with Buttars again being the deciding vote.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

In the highly contentious Republican battle for Provo's Senate District 16, where accusations of delegate stacking and rule bending have flown like a geese migration, there seems to be a moment of niceness today.

Attorney Jacqueline deGaston, who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble for the Republican nomination, told me this morning that she is withdrawing her challenge to the delegate status of Hannah Lockhart, the daughter of Rep. Becky Lockhart and State Party Chairman Stan Lockhart, both strong Bramble supporters.

Hannah Lockhart who is still 17 but will turn 18 in time to participate in the election process, was elected as a delegate in a voting precinct where she does not yet reside. Stan Lockhart says his daughter will move to that precinct in the spring when she enrolls in Brigham Young University. But deGaston's challenge noted the party rules require the delegate live in the precinct he or she is elected to represent at the time of the caucuses.

The matter was to come before the county party's credentials committee Friday, the day before the Utah County Convention. But deGaston says she does not want to cause Hannah any grief or do anything to discourage young people from participating in the political process.

"She didn't do anything wrong," deGaston said of Hannah. "She did what adults told her was OK to do, but she's the one taking all the heat if I go ahead with this challenge."

So, in this brief moment of congeniality, who wants some fruit punch?

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

Any doubts that Utah Sen. Bob Bennett will seek a third term in
2010 can be put to rest.
Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller played host to a campaign strategy
meeting for Bennett's campaign Friday at the Jazz practice facility.
Most of the Utah Republican Party's movers and shakers were in
attendance and 65 attendees pledged to raise $10,000 each to launch
Bennett's campaign.
The senator, who currently is 74, will be 77 on election day,
2010, which makes him old enough to be Strom Thurmond's son during
Thurmond's last term in the Senate.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

Watch for an announcement this afternoon that Dixie College President Lee Caldwell is resigning "to pursue other opportunities."

It wasn't too long ago when Utah's favorite Republican son, Mitt Romney, was cautioning his fellow GOP adherents that John McCain was too liberal to represent the Grand Old Poobahs as their presidential candidate in 2008 and had a troubling voting record on some hot-button Republican issues.

Then, when Romney saw his own presidential bid go south and he dropped out, he eventually endorsed McCain when it was undeniable the Arizona senator would be the man for the Republicans.

Now, sources tell me, Romney will be at McCain's side tomorrow for the presidential candidate's $1,000 per plate fund-raiser at noon at the Grand America Hotel.

Romney's popularity in Utah should put more fannies on the luncheon table seats and more money in McCain's coffers than originally hoped for.

It also will likely fuel rumors of a possible spot for Romney as McCain's running mate, whether or not it could be a reality.

It also should help ease the minds of Republican legislative incumbents running for election in swing districts, since McCain by himself is not considered a great asset for local candidates in Utah.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

Mark Towner is a long-time worker bee in the Utah Republican Party. He has held party offices within his voting and legislative districts and has been a member of the party's central committee. He also once ran for a legislative seat as a Republican.

But, apparently, he's had it.

Towner told KSL Radio host Doug Wright today that because he was fed up with some things in the Republican Party, he went to his neighborhood's Democratic caucus last night, was delighted with the gracious way he was treated, particularly by Democratic legislators Jackie Biskupski in the House and Scott McCoy in the Senate, and, get this, he was elected as a delegate.

That might make things easier all the way around, however. Towner successfully obtained a restraining order against fellow Republican Mike Ridgway which forbids Ridgway from having contact with Towner and members of his family. That issue recently went to the Utah Supreme Court, with Ridgway claiming parts of the order prevented him from exercising his right to political speech. The high court remanded it back to the District Court after making some clarifications in its order.

Ridgway, how is running as a Republican for the Utah House of Representatives, so he likely will be attending Republican functions quite regularly. With Towner now as a Democrat, the chances of them running into each other have been reduced.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

Super Dell Schanze, the colorful and controversial former owner of Totally Awesome Computers, went into the Salt Lake County Clerk's
Office today and withdrew his candidacy for Salt Lake County Mayor, just three days after he filed for the office on Friday.

The reason: He told the clerk's personnel that he is running for governor instead and when he went to file at the Lieutenant Governor's Office, he was told he could not file for two offices at the same time.

So, Salt Lake County might be losing a mayoral candidate, but just think, the voters of Utah are gaining a gubernatorial candidate.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly

Former Republican legislator Dave Hogue is the latest GOP loyalist to give up the ship, so to speak, and join the Democratic Party.

Hogue was the Republican representative from the Riverton, Herriman area, but over the past few years had to fight against a right-wing surge from his own party because he didn't support vouchers.

He now is running against the Republican who two years ago took over his seat, Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, as a Democrat.

Hogue's record was that of a conservative on most issues, but he was always consistently supportive of public education and teachers and opposed vouchers. That position became intolerable in some sectors of the Utah Republican Party.

Hogue was the target of a smear letter sent to Republican convention delegates four years ago, orchestrated by Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. He was criticized for not representing "Republican values," (translation: he didn't support vouchers). He won his House seat, despite the effort to oust him at the convention, but gave up that seat two years ago to run for the Senate against Stephenson, who beat him for the Republican nomination.

Wimmer then won the open seat, so the race for that district now will be between two incumbents of that area, with one taking on the label of Democrat that has not been a successful brand in that area in the past.

Cheers,
Paul Rolly