Is he in or out?
Democrat Jim McConkie is reassessing his earlier decision to run for the 2nd Congressional District this year and will make an announcement Monday about his political plans.State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Zuhl said Saturday that he spoke with McConkie Friday night and as of that time, "Jim was firm that he was not going to run."
Zuhl said that McConkie's apparent decision was very disappointing, but that he's 90 percent sure one or more new Democrats will get in the race before the March 18 filing deadline.
"The No. 1 possibility is (State House Minority Leader) Frank Pignanelli," said Zuhl.
McConkie said last year that he was definitely in the race, but friends now say that he is discouraged that a recent fund-raiser didn't go well and that a number of party loyalists have declined to support him and are backing attorney Ross Anderson.
The moderate wing of the Utah Democratic party is fearful of Anderson, a pro-choice candidate who once served on the board of the ACLU.
An adviser to McConkie said that he was meeting with his campaign staff Saturday and this person hoped that McConkie would stay in the race and fight for the nomination.
Zuhl added that McConkie is willing to stay in the race if Anderson gets out, but that doesn't appear likely.
Speaking of McConkie, Zuhl said that one reason he was disappointed was that before Anderson got into the race, it appeared, "we had settled on a consensus candidate, in a race where we had a real chance to win."
This whole incident reminds Utah Democrats of 1994 when Grethe Peterson announced early that she was running against GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch and lined up all of the Democratic hierarchy to support her.
But out of the blue Peterson quit the race and Democrats couldn't find another candidate until the day of the candidate filing deadline, when former party state chair Pat Shea stepped forward.
With the personally and financially troubled Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz formally getting out of the race last week, the field is more open than ever. With a week left before the filing deadline, there may be several Republicans, including Merrill Cook, and several Democrats who still may get in the race.