RealGM

SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Tim Cosgrove, D-Murray, faces some tall competition for re-election: 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley — a Republican who played basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets, the Dallas Mavericks and the BYU Cougars.

"I had a lot of friends and people in the Legislature encourage me to run," said Bradley, a surprise candidate who filed just before the deadline Friday afternoon.

"This is something that I have thought about for a long time. But I had to be in the state for three years to qualify. Because I have been out of the state playing basketball, I only recently qualified," said Bradley, who now lives in Murray. "I've always been interested in politics, and I would like to make a difference in people's lives."