Speaker of the House Greg Curtis tells the Deseret News' Bob Bernick that if he wins re-election in his neck-and-neck Sandy race — he'll never run for the seat again. Promise!

No, he'll just run for Congress or Senate or governor or Warlord of southern Salt Lake County or whatever else is open in 2012. Curtis is a old-school politician whose personal interests and identity are bound up in what passes for public service on the Hill and to not wield power would kill him.

Assuming Bernick is not making up the whole thing, what is Curtis' game? "Re-elect me and I'll go quietly in two years"?

Curtis has more than $350,000 in his campaign fund, more than any lawmaker in history. Yet, Democrat Jay Seegmiller has him by the throat in the race for the House District 49 seat. The reason is simple. The Legislature, led by Curtis, arrogantly tried to shove a educational voucher bill down unwilling taxpayers' throats last year. Voters rose up and decisively junked the program in a referendum. They seemed to have nursed the grudge into a potent election issue.

The Tribune's Robert Gerhke explores the money from both sides of the voucher issue that is being funneled into campaigns this year. Parents for Choice in Education has dumped more than $200,000 into protecting Curtis and other pro-voucher lawmakers. The Utah Education Association has spent $100,000 to stick it to the voucher gang.

It doesn't help Curtis that he also has been dogged with allegations that he used his position as speaker to benefit developer clients of his law firm.