On Tuesday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert hosted a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, a fellow Republican who is considering running to succeed him in 2020. However, while Herbert, who has served since 2009, has long signaled that this will be his final term, it seems the political world may have been too hasty in listing him as retiring. When the local Fox affiliate asked the governor if he was interested in running again, he replied “Never say never,” though he added that he wouldn’t be hosting a fundraiser for Cox if he didn’t want him in the race.
This isn’t even the first time that Herbert has left the door open to running again. In April of 2017, Herbert was asked if he would seek a third full term in 2020 but begged off, saying it was too early to make a decision. The governor then proceeded to joke about running for Congress in 2018 (which he didn’t do). When he was asked to clarify his comments, Herbert laughed and snarked, “Politicians are always clear,” and declined to comment further.
The following January, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the governor was still holding major fundraisers for his campaign, despite the apparent fact that he wasn’t running again. Salt Lake Chamber head Derek Miller, a former Herbert chief of staff and current advisor, said at the time that Herbert was just raising money to support other candidates and paying for things he cared about, like flying veterans to D.C., and that he wasn’t seeking re-election.
However, in June, Miller was a whole lot less sure when asked if the governor would run again, saying “I would say maybe, a definitive maybe,” and adding, “The reason I say that is I don't think he's reconsidering it, but I can tell you there are a lot of people who are asking him to reconsider.” Herbert’s spokesperson also didn’t rule out a 2020 bid on his boss’s behalf, saying, “While it is true that many of Gov. Herbert's supporters have encouraged him to consider another run, there are no plans in place to seek an additional term.”
For the moment at least, it looks like Herbert is sincere about wanting Cox to replace him. At Tuesday’s fundraiser, despite his “never say never” remarks, Hebert opined that his lieutenant governor “needs to look into the possibility” of running for governor himself. Still, it feels like Herbert is at least giving some consideration towards running if Cox stays out.
Cox himself looks likely to run, but he hasn’t committed to it. On Tuesday, he said he won’t make a final decision until his son returns from Africa this summer and can weigh in on Cox’s plans along with the rest of the family. The lieutenant governor added, “I’d say we’re 90 percent there, but it’s that last 10 percent that’s the hardest part because that’s when it gets real.” Cox would not be the first politician to get 90 percent of the way there only to bail in the end.
Meanwhile, another local Republican is also taking steps towards running. Real estate company owner Jeff Burningham announced on Tuesday that he was considering a bid, adding that, while he would only make a final decision within the next year, he’s already opened a fundraising committee and hired a campaign manager. Burningham also says that if he ran, he would probably do some self-funding, though he didn’t say how much of his own cash he was willing to part with. The company Burningham founded is worth $2 billion, so he probably has money to burn.