James Evans: Mr. Focus
I chatted with Salt Lake County GOP Chair James Evans on Wednesday about some legislative races. At the end of the conversation I asked him if he intends to run for office himself any time soon. A hard-charging conservative, Evans served for a time in the Utah Senate, District 1, which is a heavy Democratic district.
His response about running for office was polite and direct: “I only focus on the job in front of me. My goal is to be successful in our county in this election cycle. I’ll make a decision after this election season is over about what I want to do, if anything. Mentally, I’m not thinking about anything else. I want to do the best job I can as county chair. If you don’t give it 110%, you start shortchanging your responsibilities.”
But when I asked if he might consider the Salt Lake mayoral race in 2007, I could almost see him smile over the phone. “I’ve been approached by many different people, and the idea is intriguing. Me running against Rocky, now that would be a dream race.”
Test Your Presidential Smarts
How well do you know presidential political history? Take this somewhat difficult presidential trivia quiz offered in an OpinionJournal.com column by James Taranto.
Let the States Fund Transportation
Excellent op-ed column in the New York Times by John Kasich suggesting that the federal gas tax be eliminated, allowing the states to raise their own gas taxes and be responsible for their own transportation infrastructure. This is precisely the kind of federalism/devolution thinking we need in Washington. Kasich is a former Republican congressman from Ohio and was chair of the House Budget Committee.
Blog Watch
Random Meanderings and Other Meaningless Blather says the Utah political pendulum may be swinging the Democrats' way... The Utah Amicus spotlights Utah Democratic candidates Trisha Beck and Josh Miller... Phil Windley endorses Rep. Chris Cannon (see also here)... Dee's 'Dotes says: "While I feel there are individual people who align themselves with the Democratic Party who really lean more towards Green values, do good things for people, and are 'great' people, the Democratic Party as a whole is a sellout"... The Tom Barberi Show offers a few examples of what Mayor Rocky Anderson's finished portrait may look like (see also here and here).
Washington Watch
Hatch: Pass Stem Cell Research Act
Sen. Orrin Hatch urges his Senate colleagues to vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would expand the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could receive federal funding (Center for American Progress).
Bennett Holds Health Care Hearing
Sen. Bob Bennett holds hearing "to examine the information and incentives currently available to consumers to find the best health care value -- price and quality of care -- and what can be done in the future to increase accessibility to health care information tools" (see press release).
What’s Up with the Economy
Check out Utah economist Jeff Thredgold’s weekly Tea Leaf newsletter on the state of the economy. Thredgold always has interesting observations.
Utah's Tech Industry Booming
The Utah Technology Council releases new data on Utah's tech industry growth, which is "far in advance" of the national average (see press release).
Campaign Tip
If you Don’t Ask, You Won’t Raise Money
By LaVarr Webb
One reason (among many) that I won’t ever run for political office is that I don’t like to ask for money. That reluctance is a sure sign that I’d be a lousy candidate.
Candidates have to be able to go to family, friends, casual acquaintances and total strangers, look them in the eye, and say, “I'm running for Congress (or the Legislature or whatever), and I need your help. I need to raise $50,000 by next month to show I’m a serious candidate (or to make media buys or whatever). Will you help me with a $2,000 commitment?” A good candidate will make that pitch without embarrassment, without reservation, a dozen or so times a day, or more often by phone.
The surprising thing is, if you’re a legitimate candidate, some people WILL contribute and many of them will even be a little flattered to be asked. The lesson is that plenty of people would like to be a governor, a congressman, a legislator or a county commissioner. But very few have the dedication and hustle to sit at a phone for six hours at a time, making call after call, directly asking for help, and not allowing rejection to discourage them. That kind of resolve separates the contenders from the wannabes.
If you want to be a successful politician, you can't be afraid to ask for money. And the candidate has to do most of the asking, not a staffer. You don't have to be smooth and polished. You don’t even have to be entirely comfortable, but you have to be sincere and forthright. You can develop a good script, but you have to close by directly asking for a contribution, mentioning a specific amount and asking for an answer yes or no, rather than asking the target to think about it. |
