This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Having been involved in Utah politics for more than the last 20 years, I have seen political fundraising from all of its unseemly sides. I have always been amazed at how much "pay to play" is a part of Utah politics and how little it takes to get a legislator's vote (I guess that's a good thing). Reform is needed!
But I have also known Gary Herbert for the last 20 years, and from my experience I know of no politician who has been a man of the regular people, no politician who has made himself more "available " to all voters — contributors or not — no politician who has listened more to all sides and no politician who has not sold out to special interests more than Gov. Herbert.
This latest hit job only shows that hard work and honesty and not being wealthy isn't enough for some fair-weather opportunists.
Show me a politician who does not trade access for contributions, and I'll show you a bankrupt dinosaur. To Herbert's credit, he doesn't make it a requirement as most do.
Steve Harmsen
Salt Lake City