Another rich Republican filed to run against Rep. Merrill Cook, a young leader in the Utah House steps aside, a political spouse jumps in and an old face in Salt Lake County politics is back.
Friday night was the 2000 candidate filing deadline for federal, state, county and school board offices around the state. The Deseret News will run a complete list of the candidates in other counties early next week.But in the meantime, remember some of these names:
Derek Smith; who filed at two minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline to challenge Cook in the GOP 2nd Congressional District race. It's now a three-way race for the Republican nomination between Cook, Smith and Jeff Wright. Democrat Jim Matheson has been running for nine months.
State Rep. Susan Koehn, R-Woods Cross, current chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee, is retiring. She said five years in the Legislature is enough.
Buzz Hunt, husband of Democratic Attorney General Jan Graham, filed to run against GOP state treasurer Ed Alter. Graham decided not to seek a third, four-year term this year.
Former Salt Lake County Commissioner (and 2nd Congressional District GOP candidate) Tom Shimizu filed for the new post of county mayor. He goes up against Salt Lake County Recorder Nancy Workman for the Republican nomination.
The last-minute decision by Smith could have interesting ramifications for Cook. In just a two-man race in the GOP state convention, Cook, who jumped from the party in 1988 only to return in 1996, had a better chance. In the multiple-ballot format, where the weakest candidate is dropped after each round of delegate voting, Smith's entry mixes up the contest considerably.
The 35-year-old Internet company executive said he seriously started thinking about getting in the 2nd District race several weeks ago.
Smith said former GOP candidate Mark Emerson's jumping out of the race last week had "nothing at all" to do with his decision, although Smith ended up hiring several of Emerson's staffers and consultants.
Smith said no Republican Party officials or officeholders asked him to run against the embattled Cook. "I decided this on my own. I've wanted for some time to get into elective politics. The question was when. It's now," said Smith.
He came to Lt. Gov. Olene Walker's state election office with PR people in tow and Todd Thorpe, former Emerson campaign manager, as his new campaign manager. Smith will formally announce his candidacy next week, Thorpe said.
Smith, who lives in Sandy, is a co-founder, co-owner and president of iEngineer.com, a firm he says provides Web-based services in communications and manufacturing worldwide.
Asked if he will put some of his own money into the race, Smith said: "Yes." Asked how much, he said: "I will dedicate as many resources as it takes to win the seat." Asked if he was a millionaire, Smith said that with stock prices fluctuating, he "couldn't put a number" on his assets.
Wright, 28, is a venture capitalist and multimillionaire who has already donated $250,000 to his 2nd District race. Smith said he could put that amount or more into the contest, as well.
Cook is also a millionaire who has put $222,000 into his campaign accounts over the past year, although Cook says much of that is to pay legal costs in an ongoing dispute with a former campaign consultant and won't be part of his 2000 campaign expenditures.
Cook showed up at Walker's office just before 5 p.m. Friday, and learning that another millionaire is challenging him for the GOP nomination, quipped: "Hey, I was money when money wasn't cool." Over the past 15 years in more than half a dozen campaigns Cook has put more than $3 million of his own money into his political efforts.
Speaking of money, Hunt, an executive at the Salt Lake International Airport, could have access to considerable funds now sitting in Graham's campaign account. Under Utah law, campaign funds in state races can be used for anything. So Graham could donate hers to her husband's state treasurer race.
As of Jan. 1999, the last reporting period, Graham had $62,500 in her account. But since that time she has held her 1999 Law Day -- her main fund-raising event that brings in more than $50,000 -- and, since she is still in office, could hold another Law Day fund-raiser this spring.
State treasurer and auditor races are usually low-key affairs, not reaching the interest of governor and attorney general contests. Alter, a Republican, has served as treasurer since 1980.
Koehn is one of several surprises in Utah legislative races this year. She was a rising star in the Republican-controlled House but said Friday: "My goal was always to be the Rules Committee chair, I just got there quicker than I imagined."
Koehn said she decided some time ago she wouldn't run again, although she wavered during the session. House Speaker Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, a close political ally of Koehn, said a number of legislators were upset, even disgusted, during the 2000 Legislature, which adjourned March 1, over the level of controversy.
"Politics has changed up here in the 12 years I've been here," Stephens, who is seeking re-election, said Friday. E-mails and other "immediate" information systems may give great access to the 104 part-time lawmakers, but they also bring "more frustration -- there is a harsh tone" in peoples' actions toward lawmakers, said Stephens. "This session had a lot of pressure under the surface, that people didn't see, on utilities, on guns, on a number of issues."
Joining Koehn in retirement is former House Speaker Mel Brown, who, as expected, didn't file for re-election. Brown, in the middle of a messy, public divorce, steadfastly declined to say during the session whether he would run again for his Midvale seat.
While Koehn is gone, attempting comebacks are former House member and Provo Mayor Joe Jenkins, running for an open state Senate seat in Provo, and former Rep. Byron Harward, who served in a Provo district but has since moved to a south Utah County House district.
For the first time in several years, Utah County Democrats managed to line up candidates in each of 15 legislative elections. In addition, several Republican incumbents face intraparty challenges.
Rep. Lowell Nelson, R-Highland, who at one point said he would not run again, is being challenged by five Republicans.
Shimizu served in county government in the 1980s and early '90s, taking time out to run in 1986 for the 2nd District. He was defeated by former Democratic Rep. Wayne Owens.
Finally, U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, got a Republican challenger Friday. Jason F. Wright of Provo filed. Cannon was surprised by a challenger in 1998. Jeremy Friedbaum attacked Cannon from the party's right and got into a primary with the congressman where Friedbaum was quickly dispatched.
This year Friedbaum, a harp maker by profession, filed to run for governor as a candidate in the Independent American Party.
As reported previously, GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt is being challenged by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Orton (and a couple of Republicans); U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch is being challenged by state Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, D-Granite, (and a couple of Republicans); Cannon is being challenged by Democrat Donald Dunn; and in the 1st Congressional District Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, is being challenged by Bountiful attorney Kathleen McConkie Collinwood.
Deseret News staff writer Edward L. Carter contributed to this report.