Love4utah.com

Can’t wait for the Christie-Love presidential ticket…

More from the Daily Herald:

Love set out three priorities that she would focus on as a congresswoman: cutting spending, reining in federal regulations and helping Utah gain control of the federally owned land within its borders. She focused her energy at the announcement on articulating her desire to see the federal government run on a balanced budget and cut its spending.

“It is immoral,” said Love of the federal government’s $16 trillion debt. “We can no longer allow politicians to kick the can down the road.”

Love said her plan to bring down government spending would include dramatic changes to the federal government like ending the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, and repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law. She said she would like to see all of these issues handled by the states.

“We are spending a whole lot of money on things we shouldn’t be involved in,” Love said.

Love joins three other Republican candidates who all hope to win the nomination and then take on Utah’s longest serving U.S. House member, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah. Love’s position as a mayor, and not a member (or former member) of the state Legislature — like two of her opponents — could give her an advantage in the race, since the Legislature, at times, has a public image problem.

“She has a leg up in getting noticed and distinguishing herself,” said Quin Monson, of Brigham Young University’s Center for the study of Elections and Democracy.

Monson noted that all four of the Republican candidates have the potential to feel the same on many issues, which would in turn cause voters to look for the small differences to set each candidate apart. He observed that for Love to succeed she will have to act different and unique enough from the other candidates.

He also stated that the candidate who ends up winning the GOP nomination will have to walk the fine line of being conservative enough to win the support of the Republican delegates but moderate enough to win the middle-of-the-road Republicans who in past elections have voted for Matheson.

Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, former state representative Carl Wimmer and South Jordan resident Jay Cobb are also vying for the GOP nomination.