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Gubernatorial candidate Peter Corroon suggested Thursday the abuse of campaign donations in Gov. Gary Herbert's office may be as bad as any since an impeached and convicted Illinois governor.
Corroon said his campaign's opposition researcher found that "it was the worst they'd seen since Rod Blagojevich in Illinois. The pattern of donations, contributions, meetings, contracts, incentives given to companies, I think it's wrong, and I think we need to change the system."
Herbert's campaign reacted angrily at Corroon's latest comments.
"It is absolutely despicable that Corroon would stoop to that level," Herbert campaign spokesman Don Olsen said. "He is just so desperate that there is nothing he won't say or do to become governor."
Federal prosecutors indicted Blagojevich on 24 counts of fraud and other crimes, alleging various "pay-to-play" schemes, including an attempt to profit from the appointment of a new senator to replace President Barack Obama.
Blagojevich was convicted of one count of lying to investigators, but a mistrial was declared on 23 other charges. Prosecutors plan to refile the case.
Corroon's Thursday comment, during a KSL Radio debate, marks the most direct and incendiary attack yet from the Democrat's campaign, which has stepped up its criticism of Herbert, insinuating a pay-to-play operation in the GOP governor's administration.
University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank said voters might find Corroon's latest comparison to be a stretch.
"It seems to me that that would be a comparison that probably most voters wouldn't buy," Burbank said, "simply because I suspect that, whatever else you might say about Utah politics, it doesn't seem to be very much like Chicago politics."
Burbank said the new angle on the familiar refrain from Corroon may breathe new life into an issue that works with voters "because Democrats, Republicans and independents have that suspicion about government anyway, so it's easy to play on the natural fears."
The downside, he said, is that if Corroon pushes too far, it may turn off voters.
Corroon's opposition researcher produced a 57-page memo titled "Gary Herbert: Governor for $ale," suggesting big donors to the governor's campaign received huge state contracts, tax breaks and other perks.
"The Governor's Office is being used for campaign purposes," Corroon said.
Herbert accused Corroon, Salt Lake County's mayor, of twisting the facts, drawing false conclusions and running a negative campaign.
"The mudslinging is only coming from one direction," Herbert said, challenging his opponent to apologize specifically for attacking Bill Barrett Corp., a major oil and gas producer.
Herbert said Corroon had alleged that Barrett got special treatment for drilling permits because of contributions to the Governor's Office, when the permits were actually in the hands of the U.S. Interior Department.
But Brad Anderson, the Democratic research director who investigated Herbert's fundraising for the Corroon campaign, said Herbert's practices are comparable to Blagojevich's.
"It's a very legitimate comparison," Anderson said. "I absolutely do believe that Governor Herbert engaged in the same ethically questionable fundraising practices as Rod Blagojevich, and what's most striking to me is he's done it in a much shorter amount of time, which should be alarming to all the people living in Utah."
Corroon's offensive has focused mostly on the awarding of a $1.1 billion contract to rebuild Interstate 15 through Utah County. The technical evaluation team recommended one bidder for the project, but the final selection team reversed the decision. The winning bidder had contributed $87,500 to Herbert's campaign.
The other bidder filed a protest, and the Utah Department of Transportation made a secretive $13 million payment to settle the grievance.
Herbert has said his office had nothing to do with the I-15 bid.