A current opponent and a former one say Gov. Mike Leavitt is playing hide-and-seek.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Orton says Leavitt refuses to meet him face-to-face to square off on such issues as funding for education and Utah's often-confusing tax code.
Meantime, former GOP candidate Glen Davis, whom Leavitt defeated in the June primary, continues to be a thorn in the governor's side. The conservative Salt Lake County businessman mailed to state legislators and media this week a seven-part Republican pledge he authored and which he says Leavitt refused to sign in return for Davis' endorsement.
Leavitt so far has not responded to several requests to meet in debates in every county in Utah, Orton said at a lunch Tuesday with Democratic supporters in Utah County.
"We are trying to shame him into debates," Orton said. "If I have to stand out on the street and challenge him to come out and meet me, I will do it."
The Leavitt camp's response?
"Has he (Orton) ever called our campaign? I don't think he ever has," said Mike Mower, Leavitt campaign aide.
Leavitt has agreed to 12 debates sponsored by various organizations including colleges and radio and TV stations, he said, adding that's a "huge" number.
"Like Bill Orton, we're excited and share his interest in debating. However, debates are just one part of the campaign," he said.
Orton said Leavitt aides told him the governor will not appear in debates after Oct. 15. Nor will he commit to traditional back-and-forth exchanges.
Instead, he said, the Leavitt campaign wants forums in which both candidates talk about issues for 15 minutes and then take some audience questions.
"His handlers keep him as far away from me as possible," Orton said. "They know that every time he stands in a room with me he loses votes."
Leavitt will meet Orton in various formats and a couple of debates are scheduled for after Oct. 15, Mower said. Utahns, he said, will have plenty of opportunities to contrast the candidates.
"I don't know how he can say we're trying to keep them apart when we've scheduled a dozen debates between now and the election," Mower said.
As for Davis, he said people continue to ask him where he stands in the governor's race. Leavitt sought Davis' endorsement shortly after the primary election, but Davis is unwilling to give it unless the governor signs a "conditional endorsement" he presented to the governor in a 90-minute meeting last month.
"The governor is reluctant to commit to anything specific. He wants to talk about things in general," Davis said. "We all know that politicians who talk about things generally, generally forget what they talked about."
Davis wants Leavitt to submit a state budget no larger than the previous year's budget; aggressively fight federal intervention in Kane and Garfield counties and introduce campaign finance reforms.
Furthermore, Davis asked Leavitt to recall the controversial Questar bill, agree to veto any legislation restricting firearms and disclose all state-related Olympic costs.
Leavitt's campaign doesn't appear to be much interested in the proposed pledge. Mower sidestepped questions about its specific contents.
"We welcome his vote but at this time our focus is on the general election," Mower said.
Davis was a political unknown who forced a surprise primary contest with Leavitt during the State Republican Convention in May. He rode a wave of GOP discontent to a decent showing in that election.
"(The governor's) just afraid it would look bad to be negotiating with Glen Davis," Davis said.
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