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2012 is here and we asked our insiders to make some "fearless predictions" for the next year.

We had some interesting prognostications. Most of those who weighed in said Mitt Romney would be the GOP nominee in 2012, but they were split on whether he would win the White House or Barack Obama would get another term.

In local races, the consensus picks were Orrin Hatch to win another term in Washington, along with Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz. In Utah's 4th Congressional District, our insiders were split on whether Mia Love or Stephen Sandstrom would get the GOP nomination, while very few said Carl Wimmer would triumph. If our predictions are any indication, the race between the eventual GOP nominee and Democrat Jim Matheson will be a tight one.

Other trends that emerged from our predictions - Gary Herbert should win another term and Democrat Ben McAdams seems to be the favorite to win Salt Lake County Mayor.

Here are some of the best predictions from our panel:

Romney will receive the GOP nomination and will select Condoleeza Rice for a VP. Obama will pick Hillary Clinton for his new VP and what a race!

Mia Love wins Utah's new congressional seat and helps dispel myths about Utah as a bigoted state, perpetuated by at least two of opponents in the Republican primary.

Mia Love becomes the first black Republican woman elected to Congress.

Facebookers will have nothing to talk about after either Romney or Ron Paul loses. Hatch directly responsible for unemployment spiking on April 22nd. Jim Matheson grows a mustache in an attempt to court Herriman voters. Gary Herbert takes sole credit for Utah being #1 in "Jell-O consumption"... and for being #1 in "having the most cities with 'fork' in the title"... and for being #1 in "best snow on earth"... and for being #1 in "per capita baby-makin!"

Automobile conversions to CNG will cut the price of oil by 40%, Education will move to a competency based system to reach the 2020 goals.

Economy remains stagnant so Republicans take White House, House and Senate. "It's the economy stupid!"

Romney for President (by a hair); Herbert for Governor (73% at convention); Liljenquist for US Senate (after string of 'senior moments' by Hatch and a bunch of crazy from Herrod); Bishop in District 1; Clark in District 2; Chaffetz in District 3 (and he'll finally stop sleeping in his office); Love in District 4 (barely); McAdams for SL County Mayor.

Barack Obama will discover that his father is actually Samoan and he will be summarily impeached by the democrats in the name of racial sensitivity.

Senator Hatch will get out of the Republican State Convention without a primary battle!

Obama wins a second term over Romney, much to the dismay of Utah. Matheson prevails against Mia Love after Love wins a primary contest over Wimmer convincingly. The United States Senate race is close in Utah against Hatch and Lilenquist with Hatch winning a 6th term and the Republicans take control of the Senate with gridlock in Congress continuing. McAdams win the SL County mayoral race. The tea party on a national and state level continue to lose favor with the electorate.

The Tea Party goes down in flames! Republicans pandering to right-wing extremists never get to run again. Moderate Democrats, Republicans and Independents will start the swing back to some kind of normalcy. And late night comedians will still have people and things to make jokes about!

After Mitt Romney gets the Republican nomination Mike Huckabee will launch a subversive anti-Mormon campaign to discredit the LDS religion to include full disclosures of the Temple Ceremony and Garments so that Mitt loses the Presidential election in November and then Mike is positioned to get the Republican nomination in 2016.

Dan Liljenquist will beat Hatch!

With record-breaking turnout at Caucus Night, Herbert and Liljenquist both win in Convention.

Herbert has a primary; Hatch does not. The nastiest congressional race will be CD 2.

The Republican Engineered Victory machine will continue to work effectively at the beginning of its third decade.

Thomas Wright will continue the mega-fail talking point trying to tie the Democratic Party to Rocky Anderson - even though Rocky preaches the Utah Dems are too conservative. Speaker Lockhart will continue to slow-talk until Stan tells her what to do throughout the legislative session, just like always. Utah County Republicans will attempt to secede from the Union.

Todd Weiler will replace Dan Liljenquist in the Utah Senate.

Romney wins the Republican nomination for President and energizes the conservative voters in Utah, which causes a Republican sweep of all 4 congressional districts.

Senator Hatch will lose at Convention to Dan Liljenquist Governor Herbert will win nominee at Convention Mia Love will be the GOP Nominee for the 4th District and will beat Rep. Matheson 65% to 35%. Cherilyn Eagar will beat Chris Stewart in a Primary to get the nomination for the 2nd District and win in the General Election, meaning Utah will have to women in Congress. Ben McAdams will get the nominee and win the Salt Lake County Mayors race. The Utah Liquor Laws will be reduced to 5 pages with no limit to any licenses. Private Liquor Stores will be approved next to grocery stores. The legislature will fund growth in public education, pay off debt, not raise taxes and stop using one time money for on going expenses.

Morgan Philpot will be the next governor!

Things on a national basis will become even worse until after the election. 2) There will be several key surprises in who is elected to what on a State level. 3) The national economy will continue to languish until something really big happens to finally bring reality to the President and Congress and awake the American people that something drastic must be done to save the national economy.

A Democrat will win for SL County Mayor, Jim Matheson will be elected in the 4th CD, two other Democrats will be elected to major offices in an upset, the Democrats will pick up a few seats in the Utah House and one in the Utah Senate, and President Obama will be re-elected.

Obama, Hatch, Herbert, Sandstrom, Swallow

Republicans increase their numbers in the Legislature and more important than the additions will be that they will make the body more moderate and mainstream.

Congressman Matheson will be re-elected. Gov. Herbert will be re-elected. (Hopefully, he will finally change the one and only speech he gives about how he is singularly focused on business but government does not create jobs.) The legislature will continue to try to privatize education, promote gun rights and mess up liquor laws.

Jim Matheson will once again triumph over boat loads of outside money and win reelection in his new "Republicanized" district. 2. The Tea party, in Utah and nationally, will begin to run out of steam and no longer command the influence it demonstrated in 2010 and 2011, although it will still be a powerful, albeit diminished force in Utah because of the state's antiquated caucus system.

Hatch will be replaced by appointment. Herbert appoints Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Philpot drops out of the governor’s race for FEC violations from his 2010 race.

Liljenquist will defeat Hatch at convention. Mia Love and Carl Wimmer will go to a primary. Love will win. Morgan Philpot will defeat Herbert at convention.

Mitt Romney will be a superb next President. Jon Huntsman will serve him as an equally superb next Sec of State. Frasier Bullock will be head of OMB. Sen. Hatch will lead Finance Committee to new heights. Utah will have ALL GOP Congressmen. God Bless America!

Obama will remain in the White House. Utah will remain in the dark ages.

Romney wins GOP nomination and election, Matheson loses, Herbert, Hatch, Bishop, Chaffetz and Mia Love win congressional sets. Patrick Henry Caucus goes the way of the Cowboy Caucus with Wimmer, Sandstrom and Herrod all out of the House as they sought unsuccessfully for higher office. Niedrehauser wins as Senate Pres. and Dee as Speaker.

Republicans will retain control of the Utah Legislature. :)

Our politics in the state become even more extreme and even less representative.

There will be fewer Democrats in Utah's Legislature after the 2012 election. Hatch, Bishop, Chaffetz, Matheson and Herbert are re-elected. Dave Clark wins the 2nd District.

Romney wins the nomination and, in extremely close election, wins the presidency. -Orrin Hatch wins -Gary Herbert wins -Rob Bishop wins 1st district -Chris Stewart wins 2nd -Jason Chaffetz wins 3rd -Mia Love wins 4th -Ben McAdams wins SL County Mayor.

Mitt Romney receives the Republican Party nomination and beats Obama in a close General Election. Gary Herbert, Orrin Hatch, Rob Bishop, Jason Chaffetz and Jim Matheson are all re-elected.

Romney wins!

Orrin Hatch and company get caught with very dirty campaign practices.

The State Conventions on the Republican side will be a brawl over all the candidates. Orrin, Sandstrom and Clark will come out of convention. The big question is how will Love do, she could pull off an upset.

Herbert has a costly and damaging primary fight and Peter Cooke wins in the General. Matheson takes out Patrick Henry Caucus in one fell swoop in the 4th CD. Ben McAdams rolls all opponents for SLCO Mayor. All of this because Romney doesn't get the nomination and Utah republicans stay home on Election Day.

Hatch decides to ride off into the sunset without having his head handed to him and announces March 17th that he will be dropping out of the US Senate race. Dan Liljenquist becomes the newest US Senator from Utah. Mia Love wins the nomination at convention and defeats Jim Matheson, becoming the first black Republican woman to serve in the US House. Dave Clark wins the nomination for the 2nd Congressional district after delegates find out Chris Stewart's brother Tim sent out the "temple mailer" and that Chris hired political hit man Jason Powers. Gary Herbert stays the governor but is forced into a primary by David Kirkham. Record turnover in the Utah legislature sees a swing back to the middle of the political spectrum. Becky Lockhart stays on for a second term as Speaker, defeating Brad Dee.

Wayne Niederhauser becomes the President of the Senate, defeating Scott Jenkins. The Patrick Henry Caucus goes away. Permanently.

Herbert reelected. Matheson elected in the 4th district, though it will get ugly. Fewer women than ever are elected to Utah public offices.

Peter Cook will be Gov. Cook, Jim Matheson will win again, Romney will get smoked by Newt. Clean Air/water will be the most important issues for the Future. Robert Grow will be elected with Peter Cook. Ben McAdams will be Mayor McAdams.

The second congressional district will be won by a republican that has not even announced yet.

Dan Liljenquist will be the next Senator and Orrin can go back to what he was doing before.... nothing.

Respondents include - 

Fred Adams, Stuart Adams, Jess Agraz, Scott Anderson, Patrice Arent, Bruce Baird, Tom Barberi, Heather Barney, Steve Barth, Jeff Bell, Tom Berggren, Mike Bertelsen, Ron Bigelow, Rob Bishop, Laura Black, Jim Bradley, Ralph Brown, Ken Bullock, Chris Bleak, Curt Bramble, Ralph Brown, Aaron Browning, Dave Buhler, Ken Bullock, Ric Cantrell, Maura Carabello, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Kay Christensen, David Clark, Thomas Clay, Peter Corroon, Fred Cox, Lew Cramer, Gene Davis, Richard Davis, Brad Daw, Alan Dayton, Margaret Dayton, Mike Deaver, Brad, Dee, Joseph Demma, John Dougall, Randy Dryer, Donald Dunn, Becky Edwards, Scott Ericson, Jessica Fawson, Janice Fisher, Wendy Fisher, Lorie Fowlke, Ronald Fox, Jordan Garn, Luke Garrott, Dave Gessel, Natalie Gochnour, Robert Grow, Karen Hale, David Hansen, Neil Hansen, Joe Hatch, Jeff Hartley, Deidre Henderson, Lyle Hillyard, Randy Horiuchi, Bruce Hough, Scott Howell, Miriam Hyde, Allison Isom, Eric Jergensen, Mike Jerman, Roger Johnson, Michael Jolley, Gordon Jones, Leslie Jones, Kirk Jowers, Brian King, Scott Konopasek, Chris Kyler, Fred Lampropoulos, Douglas Larson, David Litvack, Larry Lunt, Matt Lyon, Ben McAdams, Gayle McKeachnie, JT Martin, Jason Mathis, Karen Mayne, Derek Miller, Rob Miller, Ethan Millard, Brett Millburn, Karen Morgan, Mike Mower, Holly Mullen, Wayne Niederhauser, Mike Noel, Ralph Okerlund, James Olsen, Val Oveson, Scott Parson, Kelly Patterson, Frank Pignanelli, Jason Powers, Joe Pyrah, Mike Reberg, Jill Remington Love, Lauren Richards, Holly Richardson, Robin Riggs, James Roberts, Luz Robles, Ross Romero, Don Savage, Bryan Schott, Jay Seegmiller, Patrick Shea, Randy Shumway, Soren Simonsen, Jeremy Slaughter, Carol Spackman-Moss, Howard Stephenson, Mike Styler, Todd Taylor, Juliette Tennert, Gary Thorup, Kevin Van Tassell, Royce Van Tassel, Michael Waddoups, Chuck Warren, Christine Watkins, LaVarr Webb, Todd Weiler, Alan West, Ted Wilson, Carl Wimmer, Mike Winder, Thomas Wright