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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Murray-area accountant filed to run for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, saying the only other Democrat to announce his candidacy doesn't have what it takes to win a statewide race against a Republican in highly conservative Utah.
Christopher Stout is seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat GOP Sen. Bob Bennett, who is seeking his fourth term.
Stout says he would govern toward the middle of the political spectrum and that his plans to reduce the national debt would appeal to members of both parties.
"Being fiscally responsible means that we need to cut programs, but we need to do in a way that we're not hurting people," Stout said. "I think that Republicans in the state of Utah understand that."
Stout will challenge restaurateur and Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Chairman Sam Granato, who announced his candidacy in June but has yet to file with lieutenant governor's office. The filing period ends Friday.
Granato has the support and endorsements of numerous Democratic leaders, but he has done little to stay in the public spotlight since announcing his candidacy.
"Here it as a week before the caucus and I have no idea what his platform is -- what he runs on. I have no idea what his issues are. For me as a voter, I can't fathom that," Stout said. "To me that shows that their heart's not in it, that they don't have ideas, they don't have a way to move Utah forward. They don't have ideas on how to move the country forward."
Stout's platform largely revolves around encouraging energy independence, ending the war in Afghanistan and reducing government spending.
"We've put a year of our lives already into this. We're going to places where most politicians probably wouldn't have touched," said Granato's campaign manager, Rob Miller.
Granato shied away from offering specifics of his platform when he announced his candidacy in June. His official Web site doesn't specify what his platform is either, although he has tweeted that he opposes disposing of foreign waste in Utah and has offered occasional criticism of Bennett on his blog.
News releases from Granato's campaign have been infrequent and media coverage of Granato has largely been the result of his position as DABC chairman at a time liquor licenses are running out.
Granato's campaign manager, Rob Miller, said Granato would be specifying his positions on his Web site next week and that he would be filing for office on Thursday.
He said Granato has been stating his positions on campaign stops throughout the state and that there's no question Granato is in the race to win.
"We've put a year of our lives already into this. We're going to places where most politicians probably wouldn't have touched," Miller said.
Miller said Granato has already demonstrated one necessary component of a successful candidate -- fundraising. He said Granato has raised about $60,000. Federal Election Commission reports show that through December, Granato had raised about $34,000 and spent all but $2,300 of it.
Stout said he's not sure how much money he's raised, but if that he can raise $30,000 to get through the Democratic convention he'll be happy.
Both candidates likely would need much more than that to defeat a Republican.
Bennett had about $800,000 in cash on hand through December while one of his GOP challengers, Tim Bridgewater, had $286,000.
Fundraising is much less important when it comes to winning party nominations than it is during a general election. That's because party nominees are chosen by 3,500 delegates at state conventions, where personal campaigning is inexpensive. Only candidates who fail to get 60 percent of delegate votes are forced into more costly primaries.
Stout said he had already contacted more than 1,800 past delegates while Miller said he was confident Granato has the necessary numbers to win.
"We're well over the mark," Miller said.
Delegates, who are not pledged to any specific candidate, are chosen next week. The state convention is in May.
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(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
