Free Republic

Matheson’s the guy whose brother was nominated to the federal bench on the very day he met with The One about health care. He was a no before … and he’s a no now. Space was yes before, but suddenly he’s a no too — and a hard no judging by his statement, i.e. not one liable to flip back tomorrow. All of which is perfectly dull and predictable if you assume that Pelosi has already made it to 216 and beyond and is simply looking to cut loose a few red-district Democrats to vote no at the eleventh hour....

SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney brought his book tour Saturday back to the city where he led the 2002 Winter Olympics, telling an enthusiastic audience he could decide by Christmas whether to run again for president. "That's not a decision we've made at this point," Romney told a 12-year-old boy from Bluffdale who said he was "asking a question that a lot of people are wondering and that's, 'Are you going to run for president?' " The cheers the question received were among the loudest during Romney's hour-long appearance at the Salt Palace as part of his national tour for...

Bob Bennett must be really worried. In the past couple of weeks, a few people have come to RedState to defend Bob Bennett against our pointed criticisms of just how bad he is. And if this is a defense of Bennett, Bennett is not defendable. A Senate staffer (or Senator?) using the name ecfinder writes: Erickson, sometimes you make good points. But this one is not one of them. Why are you so against Bennett from Utah? Have you even ever been to Utah? Why do you have so much interest in a state you don’t even reside? I suggest...

If an anti-incumbent tide sweeps Sen. Bob Bennett out of Congress later this year, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a fellow Utah Republican, doesn't sound like he'll be too upset. "The people are restless, they want to see change, and Sen. Bennett, with all due respect, he is going to have to go out and defend his record and explain some things to voters," Chaffetz told CNN Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Bennett is seeking a fourth term, but is battling a tough anti-incumbent mood and multiple Republican challengers who are upset with his votes for the banking and auto...

Cherilyn Bacon Eagar is Vice President of Marketing and co-owner of WebsTarget, a real estate Internet Marketing company specializing in organic search engine optimization and social networking. Upon her announcement of her candidacy for U.S. Senate, she has taken a leave of absence to give the campaign full-time attention. With a lifetime of study and research behind her, Cherilyn is well-versed and well-read on the issues, and has done extensive research in education policy, has presented nationally on education reforms, media and public relations and related topics, Internet marketing strategies. She has hosted a talk radio show and routinely subs...

No one is expecting the Democrats to steal Sen. Robert Bennett's seat in Utah, one of the reddest states in the country. But that doesn't mean that the three-term incumbent will get off scot-free this year. Bennett is being challenged from his right by Mike Lee, a former gubernatorial counsel in the state, in the GOP Primary. And Lee got a boost today when he was endorsed by the conservative group Freedom Works, led by former Congressman Dick Armey (R-TX). "What is really exciting is the emergence of a new personality on the scene one who understands the Constitution of...

SALT LAKE CITY — State Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack resigned from office Saturday, a day after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The Syracuse Republican said in a statement he decided to quit after discussing his options with his family and friends. "My heart weighs heavy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the legislative process, my legislative colleagues and for my constituents," said Killpack, 41. "At this time, the Legislature would be a distraction from what is most important and, frankly, I find that I have become a distraction to the Legislature. In...

The Club says the effort is part of a $1.2 million campaign battling the current healthcare proposals. But the effort focuses on the Bennett-Wyden proposal, and the targets of the letters are notable because of the electoral situation Bennett finds himself in. Bennett is facing a primary challenge from state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R). Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has also said he might challenge the longtime senator in the primary. Club Executive Director David Keating said in a statement that the organization is in the "preliminary stages" of looking at the Utah Senate race. “Sen. Bennett’s support for a...

SALT LAKE CITY - There is more buzz that Kirk Jowers and Josh Romney may share a ticket in the 2010 Utah governor's race. Friday's "Swing State Project Morning Briefing" said the Jowers-Romney ticket is moving closer to reality. The Salt Lake Tribune recently reported the two men were seen together at an ice cream social hosted by Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

On the state Capitol steps, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff today announced that he will run for the U.S. Senate to help salvage our "blessed but troubled nation" from the slide toward "socialism." "The winds of change, they are a-blowing," Shurtleff said in prepared remark. "Not the bigger government, corporate welfare, radical liberal nannyism type of change promised and now being implemented by [President Barack] Obama. But, starting today, we the people of Utah, we the people of the United States, are taking back America!" In a fiery speech filled with red-meat rhetoric used by talk-show hosts like Glenn Beck, whom...

Tax protesters target him for backing $350B bailout for banks. BY ROBERT GEHRKE In his third term in the Senate, Bob Bennett finds himself in unfamiliar and unfriendly waters, roiled by public frustration with Washington and with at least two sharks circling, believing the Republican senator might be vulnerable. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is expected to announce his Senate bid today and Tim Bridgewater abandoned his bid for state party chairman last week, saying he heard all over the state that delegates wanted a more conservative choice for senator. Bennett was a prime target of tax protesters at "Tea Party"...

Facing the prospect of a primary challenge that is expected to launch this week, Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is up with an early ad featuring former presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R). The ad features clips of Romney praising Bennett as a “conservative giant” and states flatly that Romney supports Bennett. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R) is scheduled to make an announcement Wednesday, and some errant Twitter messages from last week make it clear that he will enter the primary against Bennett. Bennett’s ads are a gambit to discourage Shurtleff from taking the plunge. . . . . . Bennett...

The former Massachusetts governor is in town today for a $1,000-per person luncheon fundraiser for Bennett's re-election campaign. Romney could prove to be a powerful ally for Bennett in Utah. The former Massachusetts governor's presidential bid excited Utah Republicans unlike any before. He trounced the competition, receiving 90 percent of the GOP primary vote, and raised $5.5 million from Utah donors -- nearly six times as much as they gave to Sen. John McCain, the party's nominee. Romney was tapped to step in and salvage the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah after a bribery scandal threatened the games. He had...