The Capitol rumor mill is rampant with speculation that Dan Liljenquist is gearing up to challenge Rep. Chris Stewart for the GOP nomination in 2014. According to Liljenquist, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Liljenquist tells Utah Policy that he has absolutely zero interest in being in the House.
“I am 100% not running against Stewart,” says Liljenquist. “He’s a friend, and his position on the appropriations committee shows how valuable his presence in Washington has become.”
The likely engine behind the speculation is Liljenquist’s efforts to stay in the public eye following his unsuccessful bid to oust Sen. Orrin Hatch in 2012, including a regular column for the Deseret News.
When asked if he has his eye on any political office in 2014, Liljenquist again gave Utah Policy a flat-out “no.”
This is not the first time Liljenquist has been linked with a possible run for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. He says the Hatch campaign urged him to run for Jim Matheson’s seat in 2012 instead of his campaign against Utah’s Senior Senator.
“Oh yeah. They pushed me to run for that seat instead in 2012. I wasn’t interested, but that didn’t stop them from trying.”
