GOP candidates appeal to southern Utah delegates in debate 2 days before convention
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The second of two debates among Republicans vying to replace Rep. Chris Stewart focused on the candidates’ ability to advocate effectively on Capitol Hill, their commitment to take on federal government “overreach” and their personal connection to southern Utah and the 2nd Congressional District.
Given the condensed timeline for the special election to replace Stewart after he resigned, candidates had a lot riding on their showing at the debate. It served as one of their final opportunities to appeal to GOP delegates before the state party’s nominating convention on Saturday, when the field of 12 Republican candidates will narrow considerably.
Eight of the candidates are pinning all their hopes on winning at the convention, but only one will advance to the special primary election. The four candidates who have said they will also gather signatures have until July 5 to collect 7,000 signatures in order to get on the ballot if they don’t win Saturday.
Questions during the debate elicited largely unanimous responses, with candidates saying they favor states’ rights and they are skeptical of federal power. Questions submitted by southern Utah delegates required candidates to demonstrate familiarity with the concerns of voters in the region.
Some of the debate’s most provocative moments came during the round of personal questions. Former Utah House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate Greg Hughes was asked about his record on legislation affecting Utah’s caucus-convention system, while former state lawmaker and U.S. Senate candidate Becky Edwards said she regretted issuing statements in support of President Joe Biden during his 2020 campaign.
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The debate was hosted by local and state Republican Party leaders at the Dixie Tech Auditorium in St. George. The debate was moderated by Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson.
The first question to the candidates was whether they possessed the work ethic, personality traits and preparation necessary to be an effective networker and policymaker in Washington, D.C.
Stewart is the most senior of Utah’s four-member delegation in the House, and he sits on the powerful House Intelligence and Appropriations committees.
Hughes and Edwards touted their legislative backgrounds, both having spent at least 10 years as state lawmakers.
Celeste Maloy, who resigned from her position as Stewart’s chief legal counsel to run, said she was ready to hit the ground running because she had started out her career as an attorney in Washington County and had spent the last several years working for Stewart in the 2nd District.
Others said their business and volunteer political backgrounds had prepared them for office, including Scott Allen Hatfield, the youngest candidate who said five years in the Navy had taught him how to make the sacrifices needed to always stand his ground when making difficult decisions.
Henry C. Eyring, a consultant and professor, said he was prepared to fill Stewart’s shoes because of his agricultural background and academic experience.
“You can cut waste and get better results, you can cut spending and get better health, you can cut spending and get better education, better economic growth, better protection of families’ and parents’ rights, that’s the mindset I want to bring to Congress and that I have brought in business throughout the state of Utah,” Eyring said.
Candidates were asked to name specific examples of the federal government overstepping their authority and what they would do to address the problem.
Most centered their attacks on federal agencies, including Hughes, who spoke of a two-tiered justice system hurting the country and the Bureau of Land Management hurting the growth of Utah communities. Others, such as Edwards and Scott Reber, a former policy adviser in Washington, D.C., said the problem had more to do with Congress abdicating its responsibility to tackle difficult issues.
Maloy said the question got to the reason why she wanted to run for Congress.
“I think it’s the job of your representative in Congress to pry the federal government’s fingers back off of your lives and your livelihoods,” she said. “As a congresswoman, I would protect your freedoms by limiting the size of federal agencies and getting the federal government as far out of your lives as I possibly can. That’s why I want to represent you.”
Candidates were asked whether their primary residence was in the 2nd Congressional District. All said yes except for Hatfield, Hughes and Bruce Hough, a member of the Republican National Committee who has a long history serving in the Utah Republican Party. Both Hughes and Hough said their decades spent working on behalf of the state in Republican politics demonstrated they were in touch with the issues that matter most to southern Utah communities.
While each candidate emphasized the time they had spent in small, southern Utah towns, some candidates said living in the district was essential to providing good representation.
Jordan Hess, who resigned as vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party to run for the seat, spoke about his deep family roots in the district.
“When I am in Congress, everything I do will be with an eye towards this district and the needs of our district,” Hess said, emphasizing the importance of public land management, water rights and local agriculture.
During a round of personal questions, candidates were asked to respond to past and current controversies.
When asked about her support of Biden in 2020 and whether she regretted it now that she had seen the effects of his policies, Edwards said she saw the question as an opportunity to “debunk a myth.”
She said that during the 2020 presidential election, she and her husband were serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in American Samoa. However, she admitted having concerns about “one of the candidates” and that she lent her voice to “a different candidate for that vote.” She then said, “I have been extremely disappointed with the Biden administration and regret that.”
In the same round of questioning, Hughes was asked to defend his role in passing legislation in 2014 that opened up the candidate nomination process to signature-gathering. He said the law was passed with the understanding that it would preserve the party convention process but that afterwards he tried to reverse the statute, insisting that he had or would never bypass the delegate convention by engaging in signature gathering.
Other candidates who took the stage Thursday to make their case were: Kathleen Anderson, former communications director for the Utah Republican Party and congressional candidate; R. Quin Denning, an entrepreneur and resident of southern Utah; and Bill Hoster, the mayor of Leeds, Washington County, and a retired businessman.
One other candidate, Ty Jensen, will also be participating in Saturday’s convention but could not attend the debate because of work obligations.
The Republican convention will be held Saturday at Delta High School, beginning at 3 p.m. The special primary election will be held Sept. 5, and the special general election will be held Nov. 21.
