2012 Senate Race

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Dan Liljenquist’s failed tax hike!

by Daryl Acumen

This article illustrates the idiocy of one of the few votes Dan Liljenquist could be bothered to make in his short stint with the Utah Legislature - a sin tax increase on cigarettes. The fact that he bothered to show up for this vote means he thought it was important. The fact that he got it ...

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June 15th Hatch/Liljenquist debate transcript

by Daryl Acumen

Doug Wright: A warm welcome to the Doug Wright show today. Special hour today — we have blown out all the commercials. We have cleared the decks because today is the day for the debate between Dan Liljenquist and Orrin Hatch. I greatly appreciate both of our guests clearing their schedules and making their time ...

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It’s *crickets* in the Senate race

by Daryl Acumen

"Maybe it’s because we’re in the middle of June and people aren’t thinking much about the election. It just seems that there’s not much going on right now. And a boring race helps Orrin Hatch. If things were more exciting, that would mean either trouble for Hatch or momentum for Liljenquist." - Bryan Schott This is ...

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Manufactured debate ‘controversy’ illustrates Liljenquist campaign’s desperation

by Daryl Acumen

The recently manufactured 'controversy' regarding Orrin Hatch's purported hesitancy to debate Dan Liljenquist again before the June 26th primary is a clear sign of desperation.  In spite of the fact that Hatch has debated Liljenquist twice in the last month and the fact that Hatch campaign manager Dave Hansen indicated that more debates are likely, ...

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Dan Liljenquist & FreedomWorks – birds of a feather…

by Daryl Acumen

A few observations about the relationship between FreedomWorks and Dan Liljenquist: -  In June 2011, as conservatives across the country geared up for the election a year and half away to oust President Barack Obama and his liberal allies from the U.S. Senate, Washington, DC-based FreedomWorks announced a costly campign to try and defeat conservative Republican ...

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How conservative is Dan Liljenquist really?

by Daryl Acumen

I'm continuing to do my research on the short legislative record of State Senator Dan Liljenquist.  I've been curious as to why FreedomWorks took so long to endorse Liljenquist and why some folks at the UTGOP Convention referred to him as a "liberal."  I'm of course aware that Dan's record with the Utah Taxpayer's Association ...

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Liljenquist Campaign Focus Group Update

by Daryl Acumen

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking directly with the political consultant who moderated the Liljenquist focus group.  I asked him to send me an email with his side of the story, but I'm so busy right now I haven't had time to digest and re-write it in my own words.  To void any further delay ...

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Who won the 1st U.S. Senate Debate on April 4th?

by Daryl Acumen

I think all three candidates won the debate last night, depending on how you define "winning." Hatch won by standing his ground in a dignified manner and defending his record while literally being attacked on both sides. The most disappointing moment for me as a Republican and as a Utah voter was when Liljenquist supporters broke ...

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Liljenquist Campaign tests Negative Ad Messaging on State Delegates

by Daryl Acumen

A reliable source reported this week that Dan Liljenquist's Senate Campaign is now using State Delegates as guinea pigs to test negative ad messaging in preparation for a now unlikely primary fight against Senator Orrin Hatch. Last week a State Delegate in Cedar Hills was contacted by Lighthouse Research, a marketing firm retained by the Liljenquist campaign, about participating in ...

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Candidate Notes: Dan Liljenquist – U.S. Senate

by Daryl Acumen

Overview Economics undergraduate degree and law degree Former consultant at Bain & Company President and COO of  an inbound call-center company Lives in Bountiful Elected to State Senate in 2008 chiefly responsible for Utah's nationally recognized and game-changing pension reform legislation that put the state's pensions on a sustainable path and assured the state would not suffer the same fiscal challenges ...

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