Utah RINO Bob Bennet is toast! Utah GOP convention refuses to renominate him

rnc-logoUtah RINO Senator Bob Bennett has lost the battle for a fourth term in office after delegates to the UT GOP convention refused to renominate him on Saturday, a highly-placed source with knowledge of the vote count tells Hotline OnCall. Instead, GOPers will choose between attorney Mike Lee (R) and business consultant Tim Bridgewater (R), who will advance to a third ballot. If neither candidate receives 60% of the vote, they will face off in a June 22 primary. Lee finished with 36% of the vote to Bridgewater’s 37% of the vote. Bennett finished with 27% of the vote. Utah is not a state that will turn blue to Democrat without Bennet’s name either.

Bennett, the 3-term incumbent with a largely conservative record, is the first victim of an angry GOP primary electorate, which is upset with his votes over TARP legislation and his work with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) to try and forge a health care consensus. He had been targeted by the conservative Club for Growth, which did not back a specific rival but urged delegates to vote against the incumbent.

Though he had support from top GOP leaders — he is a close ally and personal friend of Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, and ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney introduced Bennett on Saturday — some party leaders publicly abandoned him. Bennett did not have a Rule 11 letter, which allows the national party to get involved on an endorsed candidate’s behalf. The letter must be signed by the state party chairman and both national committee members.

Bennett’s loss is unlikely to impact the balance of power in the Senate. The eventual winner between Lee and Bridgewater will likely face state Alcoholic Beverage Control commission chair Sam Granato (D) in Nov., but in deeply red UT, securing the GOP nomination is tantamount to winning statewide election.

But Bennett could still have an impact in the contest. He told the AP earlier today he would not rule out a write-in candidacy if he loses at the convention. If Bennett, who is still popular among the larger UT electorate, were to run, he could have a chance at becoming the first successful write-in candidate since the late Strom Thurmond did it in ’54.

If he decides to run as a write-in, though, he will put national party leaders in a tough spot. The NRSC wasted no time in announcing it would back ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) after FL Gov. Charlie Crist became an independent; despite Bennett’s close ties to McConnell, national party leaders would have trouble making a decision to stick with Bennett logical.

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May 8, 2010 · Filed Under 2010 Elections


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