Jonathan Johnson is a successful businessman, and he says that will inform his campaign for governor.
"I would like to see more of a business perspective in the state office," says Johnson. "I think the quality of government we get is determined by the quality of leaders we hire."
Johnson, who is the chairman of the board for Overstock.com, announced his challenge to incumbent Republican Gary Herbert last month at the state Republican convention. He says the state's economy is doing very well right now, but there's always room for improvement.
"Gov. Herbert likes to tout the strong economy. Part of me wants to say 'thank you," but another part of me wants to say 'you're welcome'."
Johnson says Utah's business-friendly environment has contributed to the great economy, but it's time to find ways to improve the state's education system. He points to charter schools as an innovation Utah needs to foster.
"We are learning great things in charter schools, but those lessons aren't getting passed back to the normal district schools."
He also says he would like to find ways to get more money into classrooms without that funding getting stuck in the bureaucracy.
Johnson has also challenged Herbert to debate numerous times even though we are still more than a year away from the 2016 election. He says it's not too early to start that conversation.
"We're not a year out from the primary. In fact, we're just three and a half months away from the time that candidates will start gathering signatures under the new Count My Vote compromise. Voters need to start hearing from us now so they can make an informed decision."
