Shurtleff's fundraising trounces Hill's
Shurtleff's fundraising is impressive and may lead to further speculation that he has an eye on higher office in Utah some day. Shurtleff, a former Salt Lake County commissioner, seeks his third four-year term in Tuesday's election.
Meanwhile, Democrat Jean Welch Hill has raised $100,000 and spent $87,965 in her challenge to Shurtleff. The attorney general's race has at times has been an acrimonious contest, with charges of unethical conduct flying back and forth.
Libertarian Andrew McCullough, who has run for attorney general a number of times, has raised just $15,300 and spent $15,143.
Shurtleff, who is considered part of Utah's GOP establishment, but who has also angered his party's right-wing on several public stands he's taken, has been hampered in his campaigning this year because of a lingering serious leg injury originally suffered in a motorcycle accident more than a year ago.
Hill and Shurtleff got into a personal/political tiff in 2007 over private school vouchers. Hill is an attorney for the Utah State Office of Education. She provided the State School Board with a legal opinion on the complicated school voucher bills passed by the 2007 Legislature.
Shurtleff disagreed with that opinion, and in essence Shurtleff opined that the board had to immediately implement the voucher law. Board members refused. The case was quickly heard by the Utah Supreme Court, where the board's decision was upheld and the two-voucher-law complication cleared for a November 2007 referendum vote by citizens.
Utahns repealed the voucher law by a nearly 2-to-1 vote but the bitter voucher political fight both in the attorney general's office and in the state Legislature has lingered into this year's political campaigns.
The latest attorney general financial reports show:
• As has been the case in attorney general races for a number of years, some law firms get involved financially on one side or the other, or just give to both major party candidates.
Shurtleff, who as attorney general awards outside counsel contracts to law firms, got at least $118,900 over the last four years from local law firms and attorneys.
• He has also gotten $227,500 from various multi-level marketing firms, from NuSkin to USANA, Xango and Pre-Paid Legal Services. Shurtleff has often defended the firm's right to legally operate in the state, and he received from such firms about $1 of every $6 he raised over four years.
Recent comments
Just another voter for Andrew McCullough, Libertarian for Attorney...
Intellectual RedHead | Oct. 31, 2008 at 12:41 p.m.
Ohhh! Real hard hitting journalism! Seriously, you get...
Anonymous | Oct. 31, 2008 at 10:33 a.m.
As a Republican, and a state delegate at that, I knew I wasn't going...
TheActuary | Oct. 31, 2008 at 8:25 a.m.
- Questions about osteoarthritis 4:43 p.m.
- Logan canal breaks; people missing 3:58 p.m.
- Man's body found 3:47 p.m.
- 'Love advocates' plan 'kiss-in' 3:46 p.m.
- Many-splendored container garden 3:29 p.m.
- California's $26B deficit 3:25 p.m.
- Eat your squash and blossoms 3:21 p.m.
- Searchers shovel seeking giant worm 3:18 p.m.
- Crash kills Arizona woman 3:13 p.m.
- Lost crab pots 2:56 p.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Utahns among Texans' investors
- Cash for Clunkers to get rolling soon
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Jazz rookies quiet Thunder youngsters
- 10 years after the flood
- LDS seminary principal arrested
290 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
183 - 2 men cited on LDS plaza
143 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
140 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
124 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
99 - Fairness of BCS debated
83 - Letters: Single-payer system best
76 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The photographs are mysterious, brooding, dark. They show dimples and...
wow! i cant believe this! he was a great man and no one expected this. he...
Just another example of the skewed world of professional sports...true...
wow!! he lied to so many!!!!!!
I forgot what I was going to say. Let's go ride bikes!
I have had it up to here......next time I am voting for Prop Hate!
Everyone here blames the victim over the teacher in these cases...regardless...
"friend says..." dang typos.
LDS institutions will not crack down more on this issue...they tend to...
In economic bad times if your neighbor is out of a job, it's a recession. If...
Nice Turns, Tatiana! Nice behind too ;)

