Is cash key to picking leaders?
Nope. These hopeful Republican legislative leaders gave the money to fellow GOP candidates for the House and Senate, counting on the cash to result in leadership-race votes.
Tonight at 5 p.m., the winners of House and Senate GOP seats will meet in closed caucuses to elect their leaders, who will run the 2007 and 2008 Legislatures. Minority Democrats will also pick leaders — but the majority Republicans will run the legislative show.
The races for leadership are in some ways more important than the legislative elections that took place Tuesday, for the leaders form policy, oversee floor debate and often orchestrate compromises between the House, Senate and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
"You give, so hopefully you can find some friendly Republicans" who in turn will support your leadership race, says Rep. Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, who seeks the open post of House majority leader.
All House members were up for election this year, and so had to file financial disclosure reports, which disclose donations from would-be leaders to party candidates.
Some of the would-be leaders' donations can be tracked through the disclosures of GOP Senate candidates. But if a leadership candidate gave cash to sitting GOP senators who weren't running this year, those donations won't show up until January.
Through available disclosures and interviews, the Deseret Morning News found that at least $92,700 was given by would-be GOP leaders to Republican House candidates — many of whom were incumbents seeking re- election.
At least $49,600 was given by Republican senators who wish to be leaders to GOP Senate candidates, the newspaper found.
Tonight's Republican leadership elections will see if any of these funds turn into critical votes for the Senate president, speaker of the House and other two-year leadership posts.
Clark is in a tight race with Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, for House majority leader.
And Clark and Urquhart set this year's records for giving to fellow GOP representatives and Republican House candidates who may have lost their races Tuesday.
Clark gave $31,510 through the end of October, his report shows.
Urquhart gave $33,992 to fellow Republicans, his report shows.
That's more than $60,000 donated by the two men running for House majority leader.
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