Republican Robert F. Bennett says he wants to occupy the U.S. Senate seat his father held for 24 years.
The youngest son of former GOP Sen. Wallace F. Bennett formally announced his candidacy Saturday, promising, if elected, to improve the nation's educational system and look after the interests of small-business owners.Bennett, 57, recently retired as chief executive officer of the Franklin Institute, marketer of the Franklin Day Planner. He was also owner of a Washington lobbying firm, a Transportation Department lobbyist and aide to billionaire Howard Hughes.
"I'm not a young man seeking to make a career out of the Senate," he said. "I've had a very fulfilling career in business and I'm now ready to give the kind of citizen service the founding fathers envisioned."
He joins three Democrats and four Republicans in the race for one of Utah's two Senate seats, which will be vacated by Sen. Jake Garn later this year.
Bennett informally announced his intentions to run last September. The latest Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows 3 percent of those asked would vote for Bennett if elections were held today. Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, led the poll with 38 percent, which was taken March 3-4, before the U.S. House started debate on "Rubbergate."
Bennett said he'll support President Bush in November's elections, but disagrees with some of Bush's policies.
"I think he made a mistake in breaking his "No new taxes" pledge and I disagree with some of his transportation policies," he said.
The president has wrongfully impounded millions of dollars in transportation user fees, which are paid to maintain and develop highways and roads, he said.
"We need that money to rebuild our infrastructure. It could create a lot of public works jobs," he said.
Other issues Bennett will push during his campaign include:
- Education - "We need a national assessment tool, one better than the ACT or SAT, one people can trust. The Senate is the place to deal with our educational problems."
- Business - "Many of our business problems stem from foolish decisions made in Washington. Businesses, especially small ones, are over-regulated."