Running for Office in Utah

Running for an elected office in Utah comes with its own share of pros and cons. A lot has been going on at the state capital lately as far as elections go and campaign finance issues have been a hot topic in the state senate. As a result, a few of the upcoming Utah United States senate candidates have been on their toes waiting for the chips to fall. All in all, the next election in Utah will be an interesting one to follow, to say the least.

Utah citizens have some power-house names to consider as they cast their ballot for U.S. senator. For years, Orin Hatch and Bob Bennet have been the men in charge, but both face tough competition from a few seasoned politicians. In the running is current Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. Shurtleff has created quite a record for himself over the last few years as Utah’s top legal counsel at the state capital.

Also in the running for the U.S. senate seat is Tim Bridgewater, a former Utah representative candidate. He is running against Bennet as well and is hoping to paint himself as more right-winged than his incumbent opponent. Both candidates are trying to paint Bennet and Hatch as “Washington insiders”, senators who may have lost their connection to the regular Utah citizen.

Shurtleff has a huge benefit in this race; name recognition. If a new-comer to the senate race is going to over-throw one of the long time incumbents, he’s got to get his name out to the voter. Bridgewater is not unknown by any means, but he’s got to make sure people first know who he is and second how he differs from Shurtleff on key issues.

All in all it’s going to be a great race to watch. 2010 sounds like an eternity away but it will come fast. The most important thing for voters to do is get as educates as possible before going to the polls. The outcome to a senate race might not seem like immensely important to Utah politics, but keep in mind that, although Utah votes primarily Republican, the U.S. senate is in a dead lock between parties. Ever election in each state could tip the scales for a majority party dominance in congress.

So get out there on Election Day and vote-but vote well-informed. Each vote counts, as we’ve seen in some pretty close elections as of late. And in Utah, anything could happen.

About the Author

United State Senate Shurtleff (http://www.markshurtleff.com/) for American senate 2010. Art Gib is a freelance writer.