Huntsman, Herbert join forces

Gary Herbert is out of the governor's race — kind of.

Herbert, who was one of nine GOP candidates for governor this year, on Tuesday accepted fellow gubernatorial hopeful Jon Huntsman Jr.'s invitation to be his lieutenant governor running mate.

So the 14-year Utah County commissioner will fold his campaign into Huntsman's.

"The Huntsman-Herbert ticket has the best chance to win in November," Huntsman said in a noon press conference at Huntsman's West Valley headquarters.

The pair displayed Huntsman-Herbert T-shirts and campaign signs, so newly painted that the fumes filled the small room.

Huntsman, 44, said he considered gender and geography in making Herbert, 56, the offer.

"But in the end, I just picked the best person" to be his running mate, said Huntsman.

Huntsman spokesman Jason Chaffetz said Huntsman didn't offer the lieutenant governor slot to any other gubernatorial candidates and winnowed Herbert's name from about a half dozen people he considered for the post.

Gov. Olene Walker has picked an opposite-gender running mate, Lt. Gov. Gayle McKeachnie. Likewise, GOP candidate Fred Lampropoulos picked an opposite-gender political partner, Brigham City Mayor Lou Ann Christensen.

The other (now five) GOP candidates have not yet picked running mates: House Speaker Marty Stephens, state Sen. Parley Hellewell, former Congressman Jim Hansen, Board of Regents chairman Nolan Karras and Gary Benson. Nor has Democrat Scott Matheson Jr. named a No. 2. Matheson is unopposed within his party and will win the nomination in the Democrats' May 8 state convention.

The rest of the Republican candidates must pick a running mate between now and the end of their convention, also on May 8. At that convention, the 3,500 state GOP delegates will vote on candidates for governor and U.S. House and Senate.

Herbert declined Tuesday to put a number on how many delegates he'll bring to the new combined ticket.

"I think I had good support. I know I'm strong in Utah County and in rural areas" because of his years of work on county issues, Herbert said.

Both men said Herbert will only strengthen Huntsman's main campaign theme: economic development and job creation, leading to more tax revenues for education and other state needs.

Herbert said he has "little or no debt" from his yearlong gubernatorial campaign.