"Betts is keen on finding ways to responsibly do desalination to help meet our needs for water, as well as possibly tapping nuclear power for the energy needed to operate such plants."

"We recommend Betts for his commitment to fiscal responsibility and government accountability — including within his own party. 'The Republicans are not doing that, and they haven't been doing that for a long time,' he told our Editorial Board."

"We're particularly leery of his goal to replace the federal income tax with a consumption tax, which we're confident is a nonstarter."

"He considers himself a 'small government' conservative who believes many in his party have 'fallen down on the job' in that regard."