Republicans jockeying for Utah posts

Utah voters last week elected a new governor to head the executive branch and retained several justices on the Utah Supreme Court, which oversees that branch of government.

Now, in a secret vote this week, lawmakers — many of whom were also elected Tuesday — will pick the new Utah Senate president and House speaker, leaders of the legislative branch.

The top job in the Senate is between Sens. John Valentine, R-Orem, and Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville. The House speakership is between Reps. Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, and Dave Ure, R-Kamas.

In a way, says Ure, he is the outsider who wants to give more power to the GOP caucus and body as a whole. While Curtis, the current majority leader, says his experience and even-handed approach to issues is his selling point.

Valentine said he's "gone in to be a leader to do the will of the caucus, to not try to go in with an agenda to try to drive the caucus to a particular position." Waddoups said he's telling his colleagues he "won't be driving an agenda."

Six-year speaker Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, and four-year president Al Mansell, R-Sandy, step down the first of the year.

Stephens, who set a record with his three two-year terms as speaker, leaves office after failing to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Mansell has two more years on his current four-year term but is not running for Senate president again.

The two men — behind the governor — are the most powerful politicians in state government.

The 21 Republicans in the Senate and the 56 GOP House members will meet separately in private Tuesday night on Capitol Hill to listen to speeches by their colleagues seeking legislative leadership offices. A secret ballot will then be held.

The first Senate president candidate to get 11 votes wins; the first speaker candidate to get 24 GOP caucus votes likewise wins a two-year term.

Democrats in the Senate and House will also elect new leaders. But the minority party members have no say in who the new president and speaker are as majority leadership races are jealously guarded by the party in power.

Odd ducks

Leadership races are odd ducks. There is no formal candidate filing process, although tradition says you send out a letter to your caucus members announcing which leadership post you seek.

Offices for the majority are Senate president, majority leader, majority whip and assistant majority whip; and House speaker, majority leader, majority whip and assistant majority whip.