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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and his Democratic opponent clashed over campaign finance reform, education funding and gay rights during their first debate to help determine who will lead the state for the next two years.
The Republican governor and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon met Thursday during a taping of a debate to be televised by KUED-TV in Salt Lake City on Monday. [To watch the debate, Click here.]
Campaign finance reform took center stage, with Corroon keeping up his attack on Herbert for accepting large campaign contributionsfrom companies with state contracts and tax incentives.
The citizens need to have faith that their government is not being overly influenced by big political donations. That's why I support campaign finance reform.
–Peter Corroon
"The citizens need to have faith that their government is not being overly influenced by big political donations. That's why I support campaign finance reform," Corroon said.
Utah is one of few states that places no limits on the size, frequency and source of campaign donations. In Utah, it is not uncommon for corporations to make $50,000 contributions. Corroon has challenged Herbert to return donations worth more than $10,000, but Herbert has dismissed that notion.
Corroon also favors contribution limits and restrictions on state contractors. Herbert does not. At times, Herbert was clearly irritated with the suggestion that accepting large contributions from those who do business with the state is unethical.
"In fact, I support an ethics review of a lot of different things having to do with campaign finance. What I haven't supported is campaign donation limits. That's based on constitutional free speech issues," Herbert said.
Herbert also said he worries that only the rich and famous would be able to run a statewide race if limits are placed on campaign contributions.
Herbert is in his first campaign after filling the vacancy created when former Gov. Jon Huntsman resigned last summer to become U.S. ambassador to China. Herbert and Corroon are facing off in a special election to fill out the remainder of Huntsman's term.
One of the most prevalent differences between Huntsman and Herbert, who had been serving as lieutenant governor, became apparent shortly after Herbert took office. Huntsman supported a package of gay rights bill that Herbert opposed.
In Utah, it's currently legal to fire someone or evict them from housing for being gay, although several cities now have ordinances preventing that. Herbert contends that discriminating against gay people is wrong -- but says there's no need for a law to prevent it. He said Thursday that issue is best left for local governments to decide.
In fact, I support an ethics review of a lot of different things having to do with campaign finance. What I haven't supported is campaign donation limits. That's based on constitutional free speech issues.
–Gov. Gary Herbert
Corroon said he would support a statewide law, saying there needs to be consistency.
Democrats believe Corroon is their best hope for winning a gubernatorial race since 1980, although the most recent polling shows Corroon trailing by more than 30 percentage points.
However, those polls were taken before Corroon's campaign released a memo detailing numerous instances of Herbert holding meetings with political donors who later made significant contributions to his campaign and received state tax incentives or other benefits shortly thereafter. Corroon has said the donations raise "red flags" about how the role of political donations in the executive branch, but has stopped short of saying they've bought political favors.
For his part, Herbert has been trying to refocus the campaign away from campaign finance and onto the economy. He notes that while the state's 7.2 percent unemployment rate is high, it is below the national average.
Herbert frequently says that without his leadership over the past year, things would be much worse.
He contends Corroon's criticism that awarding state tax incentives to companies that relocate or expand here constitutes corporate welfare is nonsense.
"The incentive program, he clearly doesn't understand," Herbert told reporters following the debate.
The state's tax incentive program works by offering a rebate to companies that create a certain number of jobs first. Corroon said the state has been too generous with those incentives in the past at the expense of small business owners and the state's education system.
Utah has the nation's largest class sizes and spends less per student than any other state in the country. Those large rankings are primarily because Utah has the largest family sizes in the country. Herbert said without the tax incentives to create new jobs, education funding would be lower and that he's worked to protect education during tough economic times.
Corroon said Herbert's comments show he is out of touch with the state's families and ignoring harsh realities, including the fact that class sizes have grown this year because lawmakers haven't provided funding for thousands of new students entering the state's schools this year.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
