Thread: Sen. Bennett loses Republican nomination

POLITICO

Sen. Bennett loses Republican nomination

By DAVID CATANESE | 5/8/10 3:59 PM EDT
Updated: 5/8/10 8:04 PM EDT


Bennett's loss marks the fall of the first incumbent during this volatile midterm election cycle. AP

SALT LAKE CITY— Sen. Robert Bennett lost his party's nomination during the second round of voting at the GOP state convention Saturday, making the three-term Senator the first incumbent to fall in this volatile midterm election cycle.

Bennett finished in third place in the crucial second-round vote, garnering just 26 percent of the delegates' support, well behind Tea Party-backed attorney Mike Lee and businessman Tim Bridgewater, who will advance to the June 22nd primary.

"The political atmosphere obviously has been toxic and it's very clear that some of the votes I have cast have added to the toxic environment," Bennett acknowledged in a brief media availability with reporters shortly after he was eliminated in the second round of voting.

"Looking back on them, with one or two very minor exceptions, I wouldn't have cast any of them any differently, even if I had known at the time they were going to cost me my career," he continued.

Bennett was dogged by his support for the Troubled Asset Relief Program and for co-sponsoring a healthcare bill with Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.). To help make his case to the 3,452 delegates, he even tapped the star power of former Massachusetts governor – and fellow Mormon – Mitt Romney to make a final pitch.

But in the end, the furor stirring at the grassroots level of the party over spending and the growth of government was too much for him to overcome.

Asked in a media availability prior to the vote if he was the first victim of the Tea Party movement, Bennett replied, "I have no idea."

The 76-year-old appropriator said after his elimination in the second round vote that he'd support the party's ultimate nominee, but did not say if he would endorse Lee or Bridgewater.

During the third and final round of voting, Bridgewater defeated Lee 57 percent to 43 percent. Under party rules, a candidate has to capture 60 percent of the third-round vote to avoid the primary.

Lee, who's served as then-Utah Governor Jon Huntsman's general counsel and clerked for Justice Samuel Alito, said that the rebuke of Bennett showed that Utahans are craving "more constitutionally limited government."

"We're ready to end the era thinking that the federal government can be all things to all people, that it can solve all the world's problems. It can't, it doesn't. It never will, " Lee told POLITICO in an interview after the final vote. "There is a groundswell grassroots movement afoot that's going to propel me to victory."

During his remarks to reporters, Bennett broke into tears when he turned to thanking his staff, noting that he gets "dewy-eyed at the dedication of a parking lot."

"To have seen the staff step up to this challenge and step up for me and defend the votes I've cast, even when some of them may have advised me against it, has been a major highlight," Bennett said, his voice cracking.

"I'm not getting emotional about having lost. I always understood that that was a very real possibility," he continued, recomposing himself.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36960.html

The article didn't mention that Senator Robert Bennett of Utah voted YES on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2007 and also voted YES on a guest worker permit program in 2006, and voted NO on eliminating the "y" visa. He also has a 91% pro-free trade voting record. He supported CAFTA and every other Bush Free Trade Agreement as those submitted by Obama.

FREE TRADE - Robert Bennett:

* Voted YES on promoting free trade with Peru. (Dec 2007)
* Voted YES on free trade agreement with Oman. (Jun 2006)
* Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)
* Voted YES on establishing free trade between US & Singapore. (Jul 2003)
* Voted YES on establishing free trade between the US and Chile. (Jul 2003)
* Voted YES on extending free trade to Andean nations. (May 2002)
* Voted YES on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam. (Oct 2001)
* Voted YES on removing common goods from national security export rules. (Sep 2001)
* Voted YES on permanent normal trade relations with China. (Sep 2000)
* Voted YES on expanding trade to the third world. (May 2000)
* Voted YES on renewing 'fast track' presidential trade authority. (Nov 1997)
* Voted YES on imposing trade sanctions on Japan for closed market. (May 1995)
* Rated 91% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record. (Dec 2002)
* Extend trade restrictions on Burma to promote democracy. (Jun 2007)

IMMIGRATION - Robert Bennett

* Voted NO on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities". (Mar 200
* Voted YES on comprehensive immigration reform. (Jun 2007)
* Voted YES on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
* Voted NO on eliminating the "Y" nonimmigrant guestworker program. (May 2007)
* Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
* Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
* Voted NO on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
* Voted NO on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship. (May 2006)
* Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work. (Jul 199
* Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 199
* Voted YES on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)
* Rated 50% by USBC, indicating a mixed record on open borders. (Dec 2006)

Good Riddance.