*UPDATE: 4:57: To make it abundantly clear, Dutton has the signatures of all of his colleagues except one who is out of town who has pledged his support over the phone. I wanted to clarify so that everyone understands what I have been told.*
I just got off of the phone with State Senator Bob Dutton who confirmed for me that he will be the next Senate Republican Leader, having obtained the unanimous support of members the Senate Caucus.
While the details of the transition are not yet ironed out, our sources say that Dutton is not likely to take over the Senate GOP’s top spot at least until after the 2010-2011 budget is adopted this Summer.
The formal vote for Dutton by his colleagues could happen at any time.
This is great news as Dutton is a solid conservative who will provide strong leadership for his caucus. Dutton has been the point Republican on many budget negotiations and has been the lead Senate GOP critic of AB 32.
Congratulations Senate Republican Leader-Elect (almost) Dutton!
January 6th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Bob will do a great job and serve the cause well.
January 7th, 2010 at 12:00 am
You congratulate Dutton, but I’m worried that he will be a “deal maker” like those we’ve seen before.
Recall that a year or so ago, Dutton joined forces with a liberal to propose giving $5000 to each child born in the state to be saved for his college education.
How does a supposed conservative even get to that? Dutton abandoned this foolish idea after receiving much well-deserved criticism, but the question still remains: what kind of conservative gets to that point in his thinking.
I’m worried. Especially as term limits loom, he may be “growing in office”.