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SALT LAKE CITY -- Critics said Gov. Gary Herbert would lean much more to the right than his moderate Republican predecessor, Ambassador Jon Huntsman. Now a new report card suggests that prediction has come true.
Every year, Utah GrassRoots evaluates state representatives, senators and the governor, grading them on how conservative they are.
Chairman Don Guymon says the thinking is, you may talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
"We want [party delegates] to be able to go to our report and say, ‘You know, you say you believe in limited government, but then you voted to raise taxes,'" he explains.
Herbert scored very high compared to past Utah governors.
"Gov. Herbert's score of 71 percent is the highest score ever given to a governor by GrassRoots since GrassRoots started issuing its report back in 1992," Guymon says.
That ranking comes despite the group's disappointment with Herbert's failure to either sign or veto a controversial tobacco tax increase. Utah GrassRoots is against the tax.
"We feel he should have either signed it or vetoed it," says Guymon. "The governor will more than likely say, ‘I've never signed a tax increase into law,' when in fact he did [by proxy]."
He commends the governor for the use of his veto stamp on another bill, Senate Bill 47, which would have automatically signed up Rocky Mountain Power customers for the company's Cool Keeper program.
In terms of lawmakers, Guymon says the highest scores go to Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, with 100 percent, and Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, with 90 percent.
The report is available online HERE. Guymon hopes it gives delegates a tool they can use to make informed choices when it comes time to select who will be their party's candidate.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
