Tobacco's back in Utah races

It's just too hard to kick the tobacco habit. The political action committees of Utah House Republicans and Senate Democrats are taking tobacco money again after swearing it off in 1998.

New financial reports for PACs, candidates and political parties were due Friday night. As expected, the new reports show record fund raising by the likes of GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt and legislative incumbents locked in tough re-election battles this year. (See accompanying story on B2.)

What wasn't expected is the turnaround by some leadership PACs that swore off tobacco money two years ago as Attorney General Jan Graham was locked in a legal battle with the nation's largest tobacco companies, suing them for $130 million in Medicaid funds spent to treat tobacco-related illnesses in Utah.

One group sticking by its "no tobacco" pledge this year is House Democrats. "We discussed this at some length," said House Minority Whip Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake. "And House Democratic leaders decided we would not be true to our principles if we accepted tobacco money. So we didn't."

"We can't stop (House Democratic candidates) from personally taking tobacco money." And perhaps half a dozen have. "But when our candidates call to ask what they should accept, we say don't do it. It's just wrong," said House Minority Leader Dave Jones, D-Salt Lake.

House and Senate Democrats have argued long and hard that all of the millions of dollars the state is getting in the nationwide tobacco settlement should go to tobacco prevention programs, especially teen programs. The majority Republicans in the Legislature have allocated much, but not all, of the state's settlement funds there.

A number of lawmakers — and the House GOP and Democratic PACs and the Senate Democratic PAC — swore off tobacco contributions two years ago because of the lawsuit. In addition, congressional testimony showed big tobacco firms had purposely targeted teenagers in advertising, an action that didn't sit well with many Utah politicians.

In any case, tobacco companies aren't popular in Utah, where most voters and legislators are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose teachings prohibit the use of tobacco and alcohol.

However, the new financial reports show a number of individual lawmakers are accepting tobacco contributions — not as many as the 43 who took the money in 1996, but more than the number who accepted the cash in 1998.