The Utah Foundation’s gubernatorial quasi-debate on Thursday didn’t spark any major fireworks, but it did provide a good first glimpse of the four primary candidates for governor, their debate styles, and what we might expect as voters begin to focus on the race.
Utah Foundation, a Salt Lake-based independent research organization, sponsored the event to give gubernatorial candidates an opportunity to outline their positions on the issues of most concern to Utahns.
Each election cycle, the organization sponsors the Utah Priorities Project, which involves conducting in-depth survey research on Utah’s most important issues, writing research briefs on those topics, and holding a variety of events to keep candidates accountable to the issues Utahns really care about. I serve as a Utah Foundation volunteer board member.
The luncheon on Thursday, which constituted the kickoff of the 2016 Utah Priorities Project, featured Gov. Gary Herbert, Republican challenger Jonathan Johnson, and Democratic candidates Michael Weinholtz and Vaughn Cook.
Herbert is clearly going to be the focus of attacks from Johnson on the right and Weinholtz on the left. The folksy Cook seemed to approach issues from a moderately liberal position. However, all the challengers will face difficult odds in knocking off Herbert. He has high approval ratings among conservatives and moderates and is one of the most popular governors in the country. Utah is also doing well economically, with low unemployment, which also helps Herbert.
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