Gubernatorial, congressional campaigns are tales of contrast

Questions about the 2010 campaign abound as Election Day draws closer:

Peter Corroon has made serious charges against Gary Herbert over campaign contributions in the gubernatorial campaign. What's the impact?

Pignanelli: "I was told that people did not like negative ads. So I didn't run any ... I lost" — Bob Dole

Just when most politicos had written off the governor's race, the Corroon campaign launched the toughest television ads in Utah's political history. Both candidates have acquired large donations from individuals and entities doing business with their respective administrations. But when Corroon accused Gov. Herbert of "selling" the governor's mansion, political observers expected a massive retaliatory response against the Salt Lake County mayor. (Prior assaults were deflected well by the Herbert camp.)

Yet, an effective counterattack from Herbert never materialized. (The television commercials of Utah politicians praising the governor's integrity are soft countermeasures against hard accusations of corruption.) Corroon's attacks, and Herbert's tepid response, has changed the tenor and direction of the gubernatorial election. The quandary of the Herbert campaign highlights the Utah dynamic: Republicans excel at bashing each other, but have become accustomed to a smooth general election. They are unprepared against the rare well-financed blitz from Democrats.

No serious person believes Herbert is soliciting bribes. But Utahns want a tough chief executive who confronts challenges to his/her credibility. Without Herbert taking the fight directly to the county mayor, Corroon will enjoy a resurgent bounce in the polls.

Webb: Clearly, the final stretch of this campaign is not going to feature two gentlemen politely debating policy issues. Corroon is running the most negative gubernatorial race in decades. He has obviously decided the only shot he has to win is to go negative, to essentially accuse Herbert of bribery, corruption and selling out the state for campaign contributions.

The truth is, Herbert is an honest, honorable person who had absolutely nothing to do with the selection of state contractors or awarding of economic development incentives. He didn't orchestrate any of the nefarious activities charged in Corroon's ads, and Corroon knows it.