After his most recent re-election, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, said he didn't know whether he would run again.
"That's like asking a new mother if she's ready to have another child," he said at the time.Hansen apparently has had enough time to work off post-election flab and gear up for another nine-month election go-round. Looking relaxed in an open-collar shirt and cardigan sweater Wednesday, Hansen signed a form in the Utah lieutenant governor's Capitol office, paid the $334 fee and officially filed for re-election to represent the 1st Congressional District.
"I honestly feel we've done a good job for the people of Utah," he said. "We've worked hard."
Hansen, already holding the longest tenure of any Utah congressman in history, will be embarking on his ninth term if he wins in November. With his elections to the Farmington City Council, Legislature and U.S. Congress, he has won 17 elections straight. He has won five of his eight congressional terms going away.
In 1994, the latest race, he beat Democratic challenger Bobbie Coray in every county and won overall by a 2-1 margin.
Though Hansen has been a vocal proponent of term limits, he harbors no illusions about the power of longevity in Washington. He has said he would step down if term limits are enacted, but in the meantime. . . .
"Let's be honest about it - seniority's the name of the game," he said.
Hansen is chairman of the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands, and a member of the House National Security Committee. As such, he said, he is in a powerful position to influence policy on two matters important to 1st District constituents: military and public lands.
Hansen played a prominent role in the successful effort to keep Hill Air Force Base open last year, something he terms "the best thing we've ever been able to pull off." He continues to fight against President Clinton's plan to privatize in place the operations of McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif., and Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, two bases whose work could go to Hill.
Privatization in place is "blatantly illegal" and "naive," Hansen said. He's supporting the lawsuit the Hill support group Hill/DDO '95 plans to file challenging it.
Hansen generally supports the rights of ranchers and miners when it comes to public-land policy. He opposes many of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit's policies in areas such as grazing, roads, timber, mining and wilderness.
"Every time I turn around he's doing something else," Hansen said. "We don't want to see the industry of Utah fall on its face."
The 1st District, encompassing the western side of the state from Box Elder to Washington counties, includes large swaths of federal land. Hansen has joined other Utah officials and congressional delegates in supporting 1.8 million acres of wilderness in Utah, much less than environmental groups want.
In general, what Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republicans have been doing in Congress dovetails with his constituents' needs, Hansen said.
"I honestly think the Republican Party has done what the American people want," he said. "We're in a position of power we've never been in before."
District Director Steve Petersen said they will try to get Gingrich to Utah for a formal campaign kick-off later this year.
Hansen said he has spent an average of $300,000 to $400,000 in his congressional races and doesn't anticipate departing from that this time around.
"He's a tight man," Petersen said. "He doesn't like to spend money."
So far no one but Hansen has filed for the 1st Congressional District race, but Greg Sanders, chairman of the Davis County Democratic Party, has said he will run. If the pattern holds, Sanders has an uphill road ahead of him.
"I don't know what it takes" to beat Hansen, Coray said after the last race. "Do you?"
For the record, Coray recently said TV spots are the answer.