U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch has been in office 33 years; Sen. Bob Bennett for 17 years.

If Herbert wins in 2010, he says he'll seek his own four-year term in 2012.

The governorship could be out of reach for a Republican governor wannabe until 2016 if he doesn't challenge Herbert next year.

While some can wait, others probably can't.

One example: Lane Beattie, president of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and former state Senate president, is 57 years old and considering running next year. If he waits, he'd be 64 if he wins in 2012 and 72 if he serves eight years — the minimum terms won by recent Utah chief executives.

And Utahns have picked younger governors lately: When their first terms started, Scott M. Matheson was 46; Norm Bangerter, 52; Leavitt, 41; and Huntsman, 43.

The clock is ticking on the 2010 governor's race. I'm guessing we'll see a number of good candidates in the race from both major political parties before the March 2010 filing deadline.

Deseret News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com.