Categorizing Utah's political world with some appropriate labels

Astute political observers (a generous description for us hacks) love to use labels. So, in taking an early look at who's running for what in 2012, we've categorized the contenders, races and other factors under appropriate labels.

The Redistricting Decision. With the exception of Election Day, 2012, the special redistricting session, starting Oct. 3, in just a few weeks, is the most important event in the upcoming election cycle. Almost every race and contest will be impacted by the decisions made in the session. The boundary lines will help Rep. Jim Matheson decide whether to stay in the House, run for the U.S. Senate or challenge Gov. Gary Herbert. Redistricting will also dramatically impact state legislative races.

Lily. Davis County GOP State Sen. Dan Liljenquist ("Lily" to his friends and colleagues) is seriously considering running against Sen. Orrin Hatch. After Rep. Jason Chaffetz's decisions to stay in the House, Lily is receiving tremendous pressure from national and local conservative organizations to get in the race. Respected by political leaders from both parties for his fair-minded, easy-going, but intelligent demeanor, Liljenquist is a rising star. Hatch has built a formidable reelection machine in anticipation of a stiff challenge from Chaffetz or others. Lily, however, could be a threat because he will have tea party support, but also backing from more moderate Republicans who think Hatch has been in Washington too long and it's time for a change. It's a difficult decision for Lily because he has a large and young family, and he will need to decide soon.

That Car Guy. The apparent leader of the tea party movement in Utah, David Kirkham, who runs Kirkham Motorsports, is on the short list as a possible Hatch challenger, but he's also considering a run against Herbert. Kirkham has a natural constituency among tea party Republican delegates. His candidacy could galvanize the conservative movement and motivate passionate tea party activists to attend precinct caucuses next March. This could impact every Republican race.