Huntsman approval rating goes still higher

With a whopping 88 percent approval rating according to the latest Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has reached the stratosphere of much-loved Utah politicians.

Huntsman's new rating puts him right up there with former Gov. Mike Leavitt, who received similar high approval ratings midway through his 11-year tenure. So did former Gov. Olene Walker, who filled the remainder of Leavitt's term.

Utahns have liked Huntsman since he took office in January 2005, but the new numbers show an increase even after his high-profile defeats on tax reform and other issues, including funding emergency dental care for the poor.

In an interview Wednesday, the governor downplayed the results of the July 14-20 survey of 900 Utahns statewide by Dan Jones & Associates. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.

Whatever the numbers are, Huntsman said, "We're just going to keep doing what we think is right in moving our agenda forward. Tax reform clearly is a big part of that." So is getting funding for early childhood education and support for ethics reform in the executive branch.

Those are all issues that failed to win support in the 2006 Legislature. Still, the governor said, he is gearing up for another go-round on them. That could include calling lawmakers into a special session this fall to tackle individual income tax reform — and cuts.

Legislative leaders have said that they don't see a sense of urgency in dealing with tax cuts before January. But now there appears to be growing interest in lowering taxes, especially as the November elections draw near.

"I'm OK with some of the (new) proposals," said House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, on Wednesday. However, the speaker said he believes it will take until October or November to "naturally bring along" other House and Senate members.

Curtis said that "more and more" lawmakers are coming around to Huntsman's tax-reform side.

Despite his ever-increasing popularity, the governor said he was not willing to force lawmakers to tackle tax reform before they're ready. Huntsman said he's willing to wait until the January general session convenes to deal with taxes.

Huntsman hasn't identified a favorite from among the four options currently under consideration but said he wants to give taxpayers "flexibility and choice." Each of the options would let taxpayers pick between staying in the current system or paying a flatter tax.

A dual tax system means no one would see a tax increase. Just how much taxes would be cut overall has yet to be determined, Huntsman said, although the current proposals would slice between $72 million and $113 million from revenue collections.