While Utah Senator Orrin Hatch more than survived last weekend’s Republican state convention, it still ended with Hatch having to face his first primary election since originally winning his first Senate race in 1976. So what lies ahead between now and June, when he’ll go up against former State Senator Dan Liljenquist on the GOP ballot?
Utah Democrats avoided primary elections in nearly all their big races at the state convention held Saturday. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the U.S. Senate race pitted two candidates who have both run against longtime incumbent Orrin Hatch in the past against each other at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
This year’s election for U.S. Senate could be a rematch. After challenging him in 2000, former Utah Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell is once again mounting a campaign against incumbent Orrin Hatch, who’s seeking a seventh term in office. Howell served 10 years in the Utah legislature, and was an executive for 34 years with IBM, where he says he’s helped produce economic growth.
The only Democrat in the race for Utah governor this year has chosen the son of a former governor as his running mate. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, Vince Rampton says he can’t fill his father’s shoes, but it’s not a bad idea.
The Supreme Court ruling Citizens United has swiftly become one of the most criticized judicial decisions in history. The 2010 ruling led to the creation of so-called Super PACs, collecting unlimited contributions in support of candidates from both parties. Now, a nationwide movement called Move to Amend seeks to overturn that decision, and it’s picking up steam here in Salt Lake City.
Campaign financing was a hot topic during a debate last night between two Utah Democrats vying for U.S. Senate, former State Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell and XMission founder and President Pete Ashdown. When Ashdown asked Howell about past money he’d taken from political action committees, or PACs, Howell acknowledged he had done so, but said it wasn’t used to buy his support.
A retired school teacher, former pilot and even a Super Bowl champion are all competing to become Utah’s next member of Congress in District 2. The race has 17 contenders, and last night, seven of the GOP candidates met in North Salt Lake for a debate hosted by the Davis County Young Republicans. KCPW’s Jessica Gail introduces us to who they are and why they think they belong in Washington.
Democrat Jim Bradley has been a longtime fixture in Salt Lake County politics. Serving as chairman of the county commission for four years in the early 1990s and the past 12 on the county council, he’s now seeking re-election. In recent years, Bradley has overseen the county’s new urban farming program and the creation of the Unified Police Department which led to some controversy.
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Peter Cooke is the candidate whose priorities are most in line with Utah voters, according to two surveys performed by the non-partisan research organization Utah Foundation. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the latest survey gauges the candidates’ top ten priorities and compares them with answers to the 2012 Utah Priorities Survey, which lists the top issues and concerns of Utah voters for the upcoming election.
For the first time, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch joined his GOP opponents in this year’s election, State Representative Chris Herrod and former State Senator Dan Liljenquist, in a debate last night, held at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper. The two hour debate touched on state and national issues, and as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, it got a little heated at times.
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