Herbert has plenty of training for helm

When Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert first entered politics, it was because of a nasty downturn in the economy. Now, more than 20 years later, he is ascending to the state's highest elected post during yet another serious economic crisis.

This time, however, Herbert said things are better than during the 1980s recession, especially because of low interest rates. At the same time, he did not have any illusions about the threat posed by the current economic slowdown to the state and the difficulty in fixing it.

That lack of naivete may be the best description for Herbert, who will take over as the 17th Utah governor when Jon Huntsman Jr. resigns to become ambassador to China. Along with his four-plus years as Utah's lieutenant governor, he also spent 16 years as a Utah County commissioner and has served as the president of the Utah Board of Realtors, which is highly political.

"There isn't a better training ground for being governor than being the lieutenant governor," he said. "But it's really an accumulation of my experience in politics and business."

That sentiment was echoed by Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart, who has known Herbert for almost all of his political career.

Being lieutenant governor "is more of an apprenticeship, it's not just being a ribbon-cutter," he said. "He has been tasked with some of the more important tasks in the state … he has really been a key part of state government."

Many of those tasks are focused on the nitty-gritty of state government, including transportation and rural issues. He has also overseen the Utah Elections Office during the sometimes rocky transition to electronic voting and expanded online services, such as lobbyist and candidate disclosures.

That experience with the infrastructure has given him credibility and respect on a local level, Lockhart said.

While Republicans were supportive of Herbert, Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland was not as supportive. He feared "it's not what's best for Utah" and that Herbert may let the Legislature exert more influence.

"The governor has been pretty courageous on keeping a handle on the legislative branch," he said. "They want to return to the time when they ruled the roost."

Herbert moved to the state political stage when he ran for governor in 2004 but was tapped by Huntsman to run on a ticket with him prior to the 2004 state GOP convention. They won election that year, and this year the pair easily won re-election, soundly defeating the Democratic challenger, Bob Springmeyer.

Being "elected as team," Herbert said, means that voters expect that he is not replacing Huntsman so much as taking over for him. He doubted that the state would "miss a beat during the transition," even if there are some policy issues Herbert and Huntsman do not agree on.