Charles in Charge: Bret Rawson for Attorney General

For the past several months, a political storm brewed in Utah leading up to a special election and Governor's appointment for the office of Attorney General. Following John Swallow's recent resignation due to charges of corruption, several would-be candidates surfaced. In true fight-for-the-right Rawson fashion, Bret Rawson put his hat in the ring. It takes some serious guts to subject yourself and family to life under the microscope, but my big brother has nothing to hide. He is an asset to this state and I couldn't be more proud! Plus, I was thrilled to be able to participate in the political process again. I've never been more invested in a candidate (well, Romney was a close second :-).

Bret put over 4,000 miles on his truck campaigning in nearly every Utah county, sitting in living rooms of dozens of GOP Committee members. He would need more than half of the ~185 votes to be considered by Governor Herbert as one of three potential candidates.

THIS guy. As campaign manager, Andrew Dasenbrock worked as tirelessly as Bret to make everything happen. No rest for the weary! They basically packed a year-long campaign into about two weeks. Thank you, THANK YOU, Andrew.

The GOP State Central Committee held a special meeting on December 14, 2013 to narrow the field of potential UT Attorney General candidates from seven to three, sending three choices to Gov. Gary Herbert, who would appoint one to serve until the regular November 2014 election. The field included Scott Burns, Bob Smith, Michelle Mumford, acting AG Brian Tarbet, Judge Michael Wilkins, Sean Reyes, whom Swallow topped in a Republican primary last year, and Bret, an attorney who represents the Fraternal Order of Police and a reserve police officer.

So many people showed up early on the morning of the meeting to show their support for Bret. It was humbling. Bret had by far the best booth; every other candidate showed up kind of late with a few supporters and minimal signage. He may be new to the game, but he has an army of people ready to vouch for his character, experience and readiness for the job!

Brian Tarbet's table. Where's Tarbet?

The candidate arrives, looking sharp.

Bret jokes with Judge Wilkins. Judge told Bret that he hope he does well…in general…preferably not TODAY, but...

One of my favorite photos from the day. Bret chats with a fellow officer and friend, Brent.

This mom is pretty proud of her kids. Can you tell?

The lectern awaits.

I told Jen I would give her the Political Wife Makeover, NOT that she needs a makeover, but you don't want to be caught without your pearls and pencil skirt/ blazer combo when the occasion calls!

Bret answers lingering questions from committee members (aka voters.)

Support even among the shortest in stature...

Sean Reyes. I have a lot of faith in Reyes; he seems like a stand-up, intelligent, level-headed guy. I first met him at the AG debate leading up to the special meeting, and then again on meeting day. He Facebook messaged me after the debate and said, "you must have an awesome family!" Darn right, I do. I told him that I hope he and Bret have the opportunity to work together in some capacity in the future; great things could happen. He agreed. If Bret didn't win, I was pulling for him.

That's my brother, and that's a genuine Bret smile. As stressful as the process was, I think he really enjoyed it. I told him Abraham Lincoln lost more elections than he won, so look for every opportunity to learn and grow. And get used to giving impromptu speeches! Look for Bret in future campaigns, possibly at the Congressional level… Can you picture it?

I don't think Governor Herbert remembered that two-on-one meeting Paul Pilzer and I had with him about healthcare back in 2007…oh well. Utah's still doing better than most states in that regard, despite the suffocating effect of Obummercare.

I told Mia Love that I "loved" her. I'm sure I could've chosen better words for the moment, but I was a bit star-struck. It was kind of like that time I told Jason Mraz to "have a good luck" as he was leaving his trailer to go on stage. Take luck! Now that Matheson is out, could this next election be Mia's time to shine?

After a couple hours of last-minute committee-member tackling, it was time to take our seats for the speeches and voting. Chairman James Evans led the meeting.

There were five or six votes to narrow the field to three candidates. The voting took over half a day and it was all very intense. Judge Wilkins and Scott Burns were the first two out, followed by Michelle Mumford, who then put her support behind Bret. Bret kept narrowly surviving each vote, pretty amazing for a relatively unknown first-timer. He had to make a short speech before every vote, which ended up being a lot of speeches concluding with "I'm Bret Rawson and I am STILL running for Utah Attorney General." He never lost his sense of humor; love it. At the conclusion of the meeting, Sean Reyes, Bob Smith and Brian Tarbet (who narrowly inched Bret out by three votes) were selected. A couple of weeks later, Governor Herbert appointed Sean Reyes to serve as AG until the regular election next year. There was some question over whether the Governor would be looking for an office caretaker, to right the ship before the 2014 campaign, or a campaigner-in-office, someone who could do the work now to rid the office of corruption and then run on his (or her) record. I'm glad he went for the latter. Nothing speaks louder than a record (or quieter in the case of our president.)

Bret gave the best speech, hands down. Most speeches got scattered, luke-warm applause, but Bret received a rousing ovation. It was quite a moment to witness; it kind of felt like a star was being born! I think this speech really helped him in the voting. He got people's attention. I'm posting it here so he can look back one day on the words that started it all…Great job, Bretski! The sky is the limit!

Bret Rawson Speech at the GOP Central Committee Special Meeting

December 14, 2013

This is a serious and precarious time for Utah. We are here not because of the natural expiration of a political term, but because of an embarrassing and treacherous chapter that continues to unfold in the office of the Attorney General. This is more a time for thoughtful reflection, and less a time for jubilation. The things that must now be accomplished we do with a duty to ourselves. Grover Cleveland once said "The government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves." And it is no different for us today than it was when Grover Cleveland, the former Sheriff of Erie County, worked to ride Buffalo, New York of corruption and scandal.

I believe that Utah is great because she is good, and if Utah ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. In a few short days or weeks, Governor Herbert will appoint a new Attorney General. The Governor knows, as we all have witnessed, that the office of the Attorney General in the State of Utah has been tarnished by the abandonment of principles in exchange for personal gain, and the decision you will make along with the decision our Governor will make will have lasting consequences as we right ourselves in this turbulent storm. As I have traveled throughout the state of Utah awestruck as I always am at the beauty of Utah's Public Lands, I listened to your beliefs, your dreams, your wishes for a better day in Utah. This has resonated with me. You see a great void that has been created in the Attorney General's office. SO DO THE DEMOCRATS. You see the corruption perpetuated by some in our party. SO DO THE DEMOCRATS. You see the wisdom in running a race right now, as an incumbent tasked by you with the sacred duty of restoring integrity and public trust to this important office AND SO DO THE DEMOCRATS!

This is why you must send a fighter, you must send a political outsider, you must send a candidate who understands that fighting against evil does not connect you to evil- somebody who has been able to stand up against corruption as I have over and over again in my private practice and in my personal fight for truth and justice. It must remain our collective intent to present to our children a Utah they can be proud of! We do this because we choose to do it as a party, as a people, as Americans, as Utahns. And as the religious leaders of our time have said, "You are in the very hollow of the hand of God; a hand that will not by your own request remove you from the furnace, but will see you through it!" When in the history of the Great State of Utah have we ever been more engulfed in the refiner's fire? We are the beacon on the hill and we must now retake the hill.

Growing up, my dad often said to me "there's no such thing as a free lunch." What he meant was that anything worthwhile in life is worth fighting for and sacrificing for through work and diligence. He repeated the words of Henry David Thoreau so many times, I had them memorized by the age of twelve. "When a man advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life he has imagined for himself, he will meet with success, unexpected, in common hours." this is the recipe for success- advancing confidently in the direction of our dreams. Things that are easy or free are often based on lies and feigned promises.

As my father was a junior officer in the Marine Corps during my most formative years, serving as a fighter pilot, the example of public service and the dedication and sacrifice that some make on behalf of all of us, was an ever-present theme. I recently spoke on the radio concern gin the imagery of my childhood- flags draped over too many coffins, 21 gun salutes, and missing man formations by fighter jets screeching over too frequent graveside gatherings. These who sacrificed so valiantly were the heroes of my youth. Now we have not been called on to make so great a sacrifice. We have only been asked to be upright, moral, intelligent, and true to the principles of the Republic form of government- whether we are fighting for our public lands, working to decrease the encroaching role of government in our lives, or simply setting an example to our western sister states that we will be a sovereign in action and deed; I will demand the original intent of our Founders as memorialized in sacred documents created through inspiration to withstand the test of ages to be and remain central to our view of the rule of law. I will continue the fight against corruption as I have in my law practice on behalf of the defenseless. And I will restore integrity and the public trust in the only way possible- by demanding all those who work in the service of the people to never forget for whom they serve, and to usher them out of public service if taking up the banner of integrity is too lofty and aspiration for some.

Send my name to Governor Herbert and provide a lasting solution to a problem that was many years in the making.

Send my name to Governor Herbert as one who has worked from the outside already, to hold our public servants accountable.

Send my name to Governor Herbert as one who will not merely pay lip service to the plight of our public lands but rather one who will file the lawsuit to restore our lands to their proper title.

Send my name- I am Bret Rawson and I'm running to be Utah's next Attorney General. God bless Utah and these United States of America. Thank you.