Cannon Calls it Quits
Utah Republican Party Chairman Joe Cannon is resigning from that position today, long before his term expires next summer.
Cannon is meeting with Republican Party insiders and big contributors to present a post-election summary of the election and the state of the party. At that meeting, he will announce he is stepping down as party chair, as of today.
Cannon had already made it known he would not seek another term as chairman when the party has its off-election-year organizing convention in the summer. Sources close to the chairman say he had decided some time ago to quit right after the election, but was keeping that decision to himself until the election was over.
They say the reason Cannon is leaving early is because of his professional duties. He works for a law-firm in Washington, D.C., does some lobbying and has clients around the country. Even during the election season, his job kept him out of Utah quite a bit.
Vice Chair Enid Greene will serve as the acting chair until early December when the Republican Party State Central Committee meets. The committee will elect a new chairman to serve out the rest of Cannon's term and at the Republican organizing convention next year, another election will be held to pick someone to chair the
party through 2009.
The State Republican Party has enjoyed enormous success during the past six years of Cannon's leadership. The GOP holds 75 percent of the seats in the Utah Legislature, two out of three congressional seats, both Senate seats and all five of the state-wide elective offices.
Cannon has been credited with keeping the party together during contentious times when as many as eight Republicans vied for governor in 2004 and a flurry of Republican candidates jostled with each other for the nominations of the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts in 2002.
He once asked to speak at the Utah Eagle Forum's annual convention in Orem and was basically shouted off the Dais when he suggested the group support all Republicans, even the more centrist Republicans who defeat more conservative Republicans in party
convention and primary battles.
But he has been able to hold together a coalition of the moderate and conservative factions of the party without a depletion of the party's clout.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
Cannon is meeting with Republican Party insiders and big contributors to present a post-election summary of the election and the state of the party. At that meeting, he will announce he is stepping down as party chair, as of today.
Cannon had already made it known he would not seek another term as chairman when the party has its off-election-year organizing convention in the summer. Sources close to the chairman say he had decided some time ago to quit right after the election, but was keeping that decision to himself until the election was over.
They say the reason Cannon is leaving early is because of his professional duties. He works for a law-firm in Washington, D.C., does some lobbying and has clients around the country. Even during the election season, his job kept him out of Utah quite a bit.
Vice Chair Enid Greene will serve as the acting chair until early December when the Republican Party State Central Committee meets. The committee will elect a new chairman to serve out the rest of Cannon's term and at the Republican organizing convention next year, another election will be held to pick someone to chair the
party through 2009.
The State Republican Party has enjoyed enormous success during the past six years of Cannon's leadership. The GOP holds 75 percent of the seats in the Utah Legislature, two out of three congressional seats, both Senate seats and all five of the state-wide elective offices.
Cannon has been credited with keeping the party together during contentious times when as many as eight Republicans vied for governor in 2004 and a flurry of Republican candidates jostled with each other for the nominations of the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts in 2002.
He once asked to speak at the Utah Eagle Forum's annual convention in Orem and was basically shouted off the Dais when he suggested the group support all Republicans, even the more centrist Republicans who defeat more conservative Republicans in party
convention and primary battles.
But he has been able to hold together a coalition of the moderate and conservative factions of the party without a depletion of the party's clout.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
8:50 AM
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