Utah

Outlook: Solid Republican

August 7, 2008 Update:

Another non-contest. GOP Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. will sweep to his second term in the heavily Republican Beehive State. The Democratic sacrificial lamb is Salt Lake City businessman Bob Springmeyer.

June 16, 2008 Update:

Utah’s Jon Huntsman, Jr. is one of the most popular governors in all fifty states. As a result, he is one of the safest of those running for reelection in the eleven races in 2008. A poll taken by The Deseret News in May showed Huntsman leading his Democratic opponent Bob Springmeyer by a 77-13 margin, an incredibly lopsided beginning for Springmeyer to try to overcome. Springmeyer himself has acknowledged his position as extreme underdog, noting, “I probably would have more luck winning the lottery.” The Crystal Ball would have to agree.

Background

Republican Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. must be pretty confident about the upcoming 2008 election, especially following a 2007 poll that showed him to have a 77 percent approval rating. If things continue on the same path, this Mormon Utah native will continue his state’s trend of 24 consecutive years of Republicans in the State House. In his tenure thus far, Huntsman has been widely lauded for implementing unprecedented income tax cuts and increasing education funding while simultaneously overseeing the strongest economy Utah has seen to date.

Given Huntsman’s repeatedly strong showing in approval polls, Democrats are very unlikely to recruit or field a strong challenger for this race. Utah voted overwhelmingly for Bush in both 2000 and 2004, and the same Republican trend can be expected for Huntsman in the 2008 gubernatorial election.