With New Leaders in Utah Come New Expectation

Summary

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Pignanelli: In a general election, voters rarely have a personal relationship with candidates -- choices are made based upon party affiliation, perceptions formed in the media, campaign propaganda, etc. In contrast, when lawmakers convene to select the House speaker, Senate president and caucus leaders, voters and candidates have an intimate knowledge of the other's virtues and vices. As a veteran of five such elections, I can affirm the politics is raw, and entertaining, during the bruising process of choosing legislative leaders.

Often lawmakers are noble and support a colleague with impeccable credentials, despite prior disagreements. Then again, potential leaders have lost support for the pettiest of reasons, i.e. not sharing a gift box of candy with seatmates (yep, it actually happened). Because politicians are genetically hardwired from wanting to displease anybody, it is difficult to ascertain true support from bland noncommittal statements ("Of course you'd make an excellent Speaker!"). Each contender enters the leadership election convinced they possess a majority of votes, and most depart heartbroken and forever wondering who betrayed them.

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Extract

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With New Leaders in Utah Come New Expectation

The results of the recent Utah legislative organization activities are illuminating. According to insiders (ballot results are not public), Majority Leader Greg Curtis bested David Ure by at least six votes. This outcome reveals Curtis was always in the lead dur...

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