Jonathan Johnson is inching closer to making a run for governor in 2016.
Johnson's nascent campaign is making phone calls to potential supporters. The person on the line identifies themselves as calling on behalf of Johnson "who is running for Utah governor."
Johnson is chairman of the board for Overstock.com.
The phone call also asks if the recipient would consider voting for someone new for governor.
Dave Hansen, who has been hired as a consultant by Johnson, acknowledged the phone calls were coming from his organization. However, he was quick to point out that Johnson is not yet a candidate, despite language to the contrary in the phone call.
"Jonathan Johnson has not yet declared himself to be a candidate," says Hansen. "He also has not filed any papers to that effect. He is seriously considering becoming a candidate of some kind for next year's election but has not made any decisions on that so far."
Hansen's statement is consistent with the other public declarations from Johnson's camp – that he is considering a run but has not made any decisions yet.
Johnson's desire to challenge incumbent Gary Herbert for the GOP nomination in 2016 is one of the worst-kept secrets in Utah politics. Many legislators were openly discussing Johnson's prospects in next year's election during the legislative session earlier this year.
Gary Herbert announced he would seek another term in June of 2014.
[Editor's note: Overstock.com is a sponsor of UtahPolicy.com].
