Utah Gov. Has Raised $150K For Election Campaign

BROCK VERGAKIS

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Financial disclosure reports due Monday show Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has raised about $150,000 for his election campaign this year, with a significant portion coming from companies in the energy industry.

Herbert became Utah's 17th governor earlier this month when Jon Huntsman resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China. Herbert had been serving as Huntsman's lieutenant governor and will face a special election in 2010 to fill out the remainder of Huntsman's term.

Herbert has $142,000 in cash on hand, according to his disclosure report. About $30,000 of that will be spent to cover expenses from his inauguration ceremony, said his spokeswoman, Angie Welling.

So far, no Republican challengers have come forward to challenge Herbert for the GOP's nomination. Herbert is widely seen as more conservative than Huntsman, who was the most popular governor in the state's history.

Since taking office, Herbert has changed the direction of the executive office by saying that he isn't sold on the idea that humans contribute to global warming. Huntsman was a vocal advocate of the need to reduce energy consumption to reduce the effects of global warming and has said the issue will be one of his top priorities while in China.