Is the Future Pointing North?
I'm told there is a groundswell of support building for State Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, to be Gary Herbert's lieutenant governor once Herbert, the current lieutenant governor, is sworn in as governor upon the departure of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., soon to be the next U.S. ambassador to China.
While a number of names our out there and Herbert has many options to chose from for his number two person, support is solidifying around Bell for a number of reasons.
An attorney by training with a profession in real estate, Bell was the mayor of Farmington for eight years before he was elected to the Senate in 2002. He only is in the middle of his second term in the Senate, but already has been elevated to leadership by his peers as the assistant majority whip.
Bell is a conservative legislator, but is moderate enough that he does not come across as offensive to either side of hot-button issues, supporters say. And, from a purely political point of view, he has geography on his side.
Republican pundits say that realistically, when Herbert runs to retain the governor's seat in 2010, he needs a running mate from either Davis or Washington County, two Republican strongholds which have the population and economic and political clout to be significant in the Republican Convention and in a primary or general election.
Utah County, is equally significant for Republicans, but that is Herbert's home county and conventional wisdom argues against having a gubernatorial candidate and lieutenant governor running mate from the same county.
Two other legislators who would be attractive lieutenant governor possibilities are Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack of Syracuse, another Davis County lawmaker, and House Speaker David Clark of Santa Clara in Washington County. But I'm told both of those legislative leaders might want to remain in their current positions, from where they could run for higher office in their own right if they have those kinds of ambitions.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
While a number of names our out there and Herbert has many options to chose from for his number two person, support is solidifying around Bell for a number of reasons.
An attorney by training with a profession in real estate, Bell was the mayor of Farmington for eight years before he was elected to the Senate in 2002. He only is in the middle of his second term in the Senate, but already has been elevated to leadership by his peers as the assistant majority whip.
Bell is a conservative legislator, but is moderate enough that he does not come across as offensive to either side of hot-button issues, supporters say. And, from a purely political point of view, he has geography on his side.
Republican pundits say that realistically, when Herbert runs to retain the governor's seat in 2010, he needs a running mate from either Davis or Washington County, two Republican strongholds which have the population and economic and political clout to be significant in the Republican Convention and in a primary or general election.
Utah County, is equally significant for Republicans, but that is Herbert's home county and conventional wisdom argues against having a gubernatorial candidate and lieutenant governor running mate from the same county.
Two other legislators who would be attractive lieutenant governor possibilities are Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack of Syracuse, another Davis County lawmaker, and House Speaker David Clark of Santa Clara in Washington County. But I'm told both of those legislative leaders might want to remain in their current positions, from where they could run for higher office in their own right if they have those kinds of ambitions.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
3:08 PM
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1 Comments:
Paul, seriously - who the hell is feeding you this nonsense? This must be the 3rd or 4th time that you "have it from sources" that Herbert is going one way or another with respect to the new Lt. Gov.
The problem with listening to gossip is that you're gonna be wrong. The benefit of spreading name after name after name is that eventually, you might have included a name that actually is nominated.
That doesn't make you "cool" - it makes you a total jackass.
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