Another day, another Democrat entering the fray to unseat Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Danny Drew, who works in public education, says he’s bringing an entirely different perspective to next year’s race.
How so?
Drew is the Director of Adult Education for the Duchene County School District, which he says gives him a unique viewpoint.
“One of the things I can claim is I’m not a politician,” says Drew. “People don’t want the same old, same old.”
Drew also says, as a Democrat from rural Utah, he’ll resonate with Utahns in a different way.
“Most people in Utah want someone who understands them,” he says. “I’m a teacher. I understand how state and federal oversight affects my job. Most people in Utah care about children and education and think teachers are on their side.”
Drew says, if he’s elected, he plans to push for a constitutional amendment establishing term limits for members of congress.
“I think Utahns are sick of politicians. They want people who go in, get stuff done, then go back to their private jobs.”
That’s most likely a very thinly veiled dig at Sen. Orrin Hatch, who may or may not be running for an 8th term in the Senate. Hatch will be 84 at the end of this current term.
Drew also says he hopes to focus his campaign message on the economy.
“I am going to target specifically each county on their economic needs,” he says. “I live in the Basin and we have high unemployment.”
Drew has already declared his intentions to run for the Senate seat next year. Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson says she’s exploring the possibility as is former Utah Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell. Drew says there’s a big reason he’s getting started now…money.
“You’ve gotta start now. You have to start building up a relationship with voters,” says Drew.
Aside from money, Drew wants to take an analytical approach to the race, which he hopes will lead to a win, something he learned working for Bill Orton in the late 90’s.
“For a Democrat to win a statewide race in Utah, they need about 450,000 votes. About 300,000 of those votes would have to come from outside of Salt Lake County. From a strategic point of view, we haven’t seen an awesome get out the vote operation in Utah in a long time.”
