(KCPW News) After serving as chief deputy under Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, John Swallow announced Thursday he is now looking to take over for his boss when he leaves office later this year. Speaking at the State Capitol, Swallow said if elected, he would keep the federal government in check, and continue to work with Washington to get more of Utah’s protected federal lands open for development.
“Sixty percent of the state or seventy percent of the state is embroiled in public lands or tied up in public lands with the federal government,” he said. “How do we fund education, which relies on income tax resources 100 percent? How do we do that if we can’t develop our natural resources in a very responsible way?”
Swallow was appointed by Shurtleff in 2009 to serve as a chief deputy for civil litigation.
He says running for Attorney General was always a possibility, especially when he was given more responsibilities after Shurtleff was diagnosed with cancer.
“It certainly gave me a lot more experience then I would have had he not been under the weather or sick with the cancer or had the leg problem or those kinds of things, so it really has given me an opportunity to be more prepared today and feel a lot more confident that I can lead this office,” said Swallow.
Shurtleff and Republican Senator Mike Lee spoke at Swallow’s announcement.
Before joining the AG’s office, Swallow served six years in the Utah House of Representatives and unsuccessfully ran two campaigns against Congressman Jim Matheson.
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