NATHAN JOHNSON - Daily Herald | Posted: Saturday, June 2, 2007 11:00 pm
The state GOP will be holding its convention on June 9, and a full field of candidates is running for the top party spot.
Current Republican Party Chairwoman Enid Greene will not be running for re-election, which makes this the first open election since Joe Cannon stepped down from the party's top spot in 2001.
The race is being considered a free-for-all, with Gov. Jon Huntsman not endorsing any of the candidates.
The state chair is responsible for the interaction between the party and the Lt. Governor's Office with regard to elections, makes party appointments, and serves as the chair for the activities of the GOP State Central Committee.
The candidates include:
Aaron Bludworth
Aaron Bludworth is senior manager at Modern Display. Bludworth lives with his wife and family in Holiday.
Bludworth says that the primary responsibilities of the party chair is to get candidates elected, re-energize the grassroots base, and successfully deliver a concise message.
"I don't think the role of the chair is to be on Capitol Hill, its to be in the neighborhoods," he said.
He touts not having ties to special interests and believes that he will bring a "fresh perspective" to the job of party chair.
Bludworth is a member of the State Central Committee.
Stan Lockhart
Stan Lockhart is the husband of Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, and is employed by IM Flash.
"I have been honored to receive the support and endorsement of numerous Republican elected officials and party leaders," said Lockhart.
Among his accomplishments are large-scale successes in fundraising, reporting more than $1 million raised during the course of his political career, and extensive work on Republican campaigns. Lockhart is a member of the State Central Committee.
Lockhart lists his three top priorities as party organization, fundraising and candidate assistance -- including training and campaign assistance.
Steve Harmsen
Steve Harmsen says that he has been a Republican activist all his life and believes his business background qualifies him for the party chairman position.
Harmsen says that he understands the role of politics, but emphasizes in his campaign literature that "politics is not how I make my living."
The centerpiece of Harmsen's campaign is balance between the state, national and local parties, though he believes strongly in what is going on in the grassroots arena.
"I believe the most effective and responsible chairman is one who works closest to the party rank and file," Harmsen said.
Harmsen is the owner and president of Steve Regan Co., a farm and ranch supply wholesaler.
Chris Laurence
Chris Laurence lives in Logan where he works as an attorney and financial adviser. He also serves in the party as a state delegate.
Laurence says that the party needs to make some course corrections in terms of fiscal discipline and being to relaxed in encouraging people to vote.
If elected, he plans to "bring about a moderate amount of change," but not a revolutionary amount of change.
In a state as heavily Republican as Utah is, Laurence says "people take it for granted that people will vote Republican," a concept that he says is simply not true.
Also on Laurence's agenda as chairman would be an increase in attention paid to rural Utah. Laurence says there is an overrepresentation along the Wasatch Front, and not enough attention is given to issues like struggling family farms.
Ronald Levine
Ronald Levine currently serves in the party as a precinct chairman and a county delegate.
Levine says that as chairman he would take on the role of being the party's official spokesman and would use that soapbox to deliver the message of "real Republicans."
When Levine talks about working on campaigns, he says he runs into many people who have a misconception of the Republican party as people who want to raise taxes and increase government. Levine wants to reverse that trend, and bring the party back to traditional Republican values.
Levine works as a designer and builder of automated industrial equipment. "When I build something, it works the first time," says Levine. The reason for that, he explains, is that he can see what causes things to fail and is able to correct those problems. "I see what's failing in the Utah Republican party, and I can design it to work," he said.
Nancy Lord
Nancy Lord is a national party committeewoman and a member of the Bluffdale City Council.
She boasts more than 30 years of party experience and has served as a precinct officer since 1974. She also led a grassroots effort to reserve for delegates the right to change the party's bylaws and constitution, as well as delegates' rights to elect party officers.
She did not return calls seeking comment.
Nathan Johnson can be reached at 344-2543 or at njohnson@heraldextra.com.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.