Some legislative candidates opt against answering News questionnaire

Perhaps they didn't like the questions. Maybe they figure that in today's online world, they can ignore a statewide newspaper. Whatever the reasons, most Utah legislative candidates this year chose not to answer a Deseret News candidate questionnaire.

And many of those "no shows" are incumbent House and Senate members, even members of GOP leadership in both bodies. You can see who answered the newspaper's questionnaire and read their responses (or non-responses) at deseretnews.com/utah/election/candidate/.

On the newspaper's questionnaire site you can also look up which House and Senate district you live in, and find the candidates in your area.

Of the 185 legislative candidates running in the 75 House races, only 65 — or 35 percent — fully answered the newspaper's questionnaire. In the 15 state Senate races, 17 of 37 candidates — or 46 percent — fully answered the 13 questions by last Saturday's deadline.

Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said the party did not instruct their legislative candidates to not answer the newspaper's questionnaire, although Taylor did not like one of the questions.

"Absolutely no major group or media outlet, not only in Utah, but across the nation, believes that abortion is an issue this year. Yet you asked it first thing" on the questionnaire. Actually, the newspaper's abortion question is well down the list of 13 issue questions for legislative candidates. And coincidently, Tuesday three House Republicans called a large rally on the Capitol steps to introduce their anti-abortion bills for the 2009 Legislature.

"But I also always tell (candidates) to answer questionnaires of major news outlets," said Taylor, since Web-based questionnaires like the Deseret News' "is one good way to communicate with voters."

Ivan DuBois, GOP executive director, said Republican Party leaders "always encourage our candidates to answer questionnaires."

Several candidates asked to file out their questionnaire after Saturday's deadline. But editors decided that if the deadline was not solid, it could cause problems, including candidates having the ability to respond to their opponents and choosing to fill it out only because their opponents did.

A few groups stood out in their refusal to fill out the News' questionnaire — GOP legislative leaders and Utah County candidates.

Among House Republican leaders, only Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, fully answered the newspaper's questions by the deadline. Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, and Majority Assistant Whip Brad Dee, R-Ogden, did not respond.

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