Moderates may target speaker of House

Moderates in the Utah House might run their own candidate for speaker of the Utah House later this year.

So what does powerful two-term Speaker Mel Brown have to say about that?He'll "walk into the sunset" if they don't want him, he told the Deseret News.

Rumors about a meeting of the so-called "mainstream" GOP caucus, which has between 20 and 25 members, were only whispers late last week as conservatives and moderate Republicans alike were seen huddling and talking softly about what had happened.

As lawmakers rush to finish the 1998 Legislature at midnight Wednesday, politics was on the minds of many legislators.

Brown hasn't said whether he will run for speaker again following the 1998 elections - or even run again for his Midvale House seat this year.

But he has said he's seriously considering running again for his seat and for speaker - and he's leaning in one direction, although he declined to say what that direction was.

Several moderate House Republicans spoke to the Deseret News about the speaker on condition that their names not be used.

Said one: "No one is ready yet to face Mel over this, especially just three days before the session ends."

Three moderates said the question before them has nothing to do with Brown, who all seem to like and respect. "He has been a very fine speaker. But the question is, do we want to set the precedent of having multiple-term speakers? If we don't act together (as the moderate caucus), then we will end up with that precedent; that is clear."

Said another: "It doesn't matter if your name is Brown, Green or Red. (Recent history) has shown that we're locking in our (majority House) leaders in years in leadership. Is that healthy?"

Indeed, in the 1980s, every House Republican leadership election saw multiple candidates for all the leadership posts: speaker, majority leader, majority whip and assistant majority whip.

In recent years, only open seats in leadership have seen multiple candidates, with the rare occasion of an incumbent leader seeking the same leadership post being challenged.