Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser tells UtahPolicy.com that as of now he intends to run for another four-year term in 2018.
What Niederhauser, R-Sandy, is not so sure of is whether he will seek another two-year term as Senate president, should he win re-election.
Niederhauser has one year left on his third term as president (six years) – elected to the post by his GOP Senate caucus.
He was first elected to the Senate in 2006.
Niederhauser said he is on track to become president of ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council – in 2019.
“I would like to do that,” he said. Top offices in ALEC rotate every few years among long-term public officials.
ALEC is a conservative government think-tank made up of elected officials business leaders and others, which puts on seminars, conducts studies and suggests legislative initiatives.
It recently featured Utah Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, as one of its members.
Unlike the Utah House speaker’s job, there is a tradition in the Senate of having long-term Senate presidents.
One former president served 10 years in that office.
And it is also common for a Senate president to step down from that top post and return to the 29-member body, whereas speakers usually retire from the House as they retire from their speakership.
There is one former president in the Senate now, and until recently there were two.
“I’m undecided on whether to run for president again,” said Niederhauser. “There are a number of fine (GOP senators) who could serve in that capacity. It is almost a full-time job, and I’ve been doing it for nearly three terms now.”
