Jackie Biskupski may already be gearing up for a 2015 run at Salt Lake City Mayor.
A tipster tells UtahPolicy.com they got a call from McGuire Research, a Nevada-based polling firm, asking a number of questions about their impressions of current Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and other potential 2015 candidates.
Some of the questions focused on how respondents would feel about having a mayor that was “openly gay” or “a single mother.” Both of those questions seem to suggest the poll was on behalf of former State Representative Jackie Biskupski, who has long been rumored to be eyeing a run for mayor in 2015.
When contacted by UtahPolicy.com, Biskupski acknowledged she is aware of the poll, but it is not her organization that commissioned the survey. Rather, it’s a PAC called the Alliance for Better Leaders.
“I did help raise money for the poll and asked them to include those questions,” says Biskupski.
She adds she will ultimately see the results of the poll, which will inform her future political decisions.
“These results will help me make a decision on whether I will run for mayor next year.”
Alliance for Better Leaders PAC fund is headed up by Republican Robert Bergman and Democrat Lisa Allcott. Alcott says they wanted to gauge what issues are most important to Salt Lake City residents ahead of next year’s elections without partisanship tainting those results.
“There’s a really strong partisan nature in American politics, and that’s not healthy,” says Allcott. “We want to help find out what’s the best kind of leadership for Salt Lake City.”
Other names mentioned as possible candidates for mayor in the poll were Sen. Jim Dabakis, Salt Lake City Council members Charlie Luke and Luke Garrott, former council member Jill Remington Love and former Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.
Mayor Ralph Becker hasn’t yet decided whether he will run for another term, but will make up his mind after the 2014 midterm elections.
