Governor
From hardball to oddball, these nine candidates could potentially one day run the state. By Dylan Woolf Harris
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dwharris@cityweekly.net
duties, when one’s mind starts to inquire: Who’s got the kidney and the stones to be the next governor? Without worries about term limits, Herbert probably could enjoy smashing defeats at the polls in perpetuity or until his batteries run out, and he’s shipped back to the Utah County warehouse that manufactured him. But let’s not allow Herbert’s
popularity to stop us from speculating who will be the next contestant to occupy the Governor’s Mansion. In the world of politics, after all, the jockeying for a rung on the political ladder is appreciably more fun to spectate than dayto-day governance. The reality is, who knows if Herbert is going anywhere. He seems to enjoy signing bills, making monthly KUED
7 appearances, swatting Sharknado sharks with his Andre Agassi tennis racket, acclaiming Utah’s economy and standing his ground at the cost of lucrative outdoor retailer conventions. By the time the 2020 election dawns, it’s worth noting, Herbert will have been in office for more than 11 years—the second-longest gubernatorial tenure in Utah history. That is if he lasts until 2020. Maybe President Donald Trump will ask Herbert to fill an advisory role once Jared Kushner is voted off Trump Island. Probably not, though, meaning Herbert won’t be added to the list of a few recent Utah governors who were poached by sitting U.S. presidents for new assignments. Herb’s predecessor, Jon Huntsman Jr., let’s remember, was selected by President Barack Obama in 2009 to serve as ambassador to China before a feeble White House bid in 2012. And in 2003, Gov. Mike Leavitt was appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency
(and later the Department of Health & Human Services) by President George W. Bush. Gov. Olene Walker, the state’s first and only woman governor, served out the rest of Leavitt’s term but was rejected by the GOP nominating convention. Nowadays, whenever a high-profile Republican shifts a little in their seat, the rumor mill sputters to life, and there’s been a lot of revving lately. Is this guy positioning himself for a gubernatorial bid? Oh, but what about him? We collectively ponder. So, yeah. It’s 2018 and we’ve still got a midterm election in November, but do you think that’s going to dissuade City Weekly from looking ahead to 2020? Not as long as next-in-liners keep announcing they are ready for a new chapter. Who’s a possibility? To paraphrase Natalie Portman, here’s a list of the all-white, male contenders (plus a yellow one).
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Actually, before Herbert left for the hospital, he officially ceded control to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who used his elevated platform to tweet out a series of goofy proclamations, including one that demanded Wyoming alter its border to #MakeUtahRectangularAgain. So, it was kinda crazy. It’s moments like that, where an elected leader is temporarily relieved of his
@dylantheharris
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It wasn’t so long ago that Gov. Gary Herbert was being bothered by a pair of kidney stones. This uncomfortable malady became all of our business when the governor underwent surgery on the afternoon of Jan. 26 to have the stones removed and, one imagines, summarily tossed into the nearest trash bin. (We’re pleased to report that by all accounts the operation was a success and he is recovering.) While under the knife, though, Herbert relinquished control of the governorship—and preppers and pessimists were no doubt embracing for the rudderless state to devolve into the type of anarchy that usually only manifests on Interstate 15 between 7200 South and Lehi every weekday during rush hour.
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