Throughout October, candidates for Utah’s congressional delegation, four house seats and one senate seat, debated at events sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission, a non-partisan group dedicated to getting candidates on stage to showcase themselves and their ideas to voters.
Rep. Chris Stewart (R) and challengers Nick Mitchell (D) and Cassie Easley (Constitution Party of Utah), running for the U.S. House District 2 seat, appeared at Southern Utah University on Oct. 14.
The second district encompasses western areas of the state including St. George, Cedar City, Richfield, Fillmore and Toole. The district also covers much of Salt Lake City, Magna, West Valley and stretches north to Farmington.
As part of The Globe’s 2022 midterm election coverage, views from the three candidates about topics most important to Salt Lake Community College students are compiled below. Topics covered include inflation, state’s rights, the west’s drought, mining activity and regaining public trust.
Current levels of inflation
Stewart said inflation and the “disastrous economic situation” can be directly linked to the federal government. The only way to solve it, he said, is to cut federal spending.
“It didn’t have to be this way, two years ago there wasn’t inflation,” Stewart said. “It was absolutely created by the federal government… 10 trillion in spending in the last two years.”
Third-party candidate Easley, agreeing with Stewart’s answer on over-spending, stated that the federal government needs to quit “spending the taxpayers’ dollar on things that are not helping us get back to work.”
“Businesses need to be able to hire and have people [come] into work … not having regulations and high taxes,” Easley continued.
Mitchell said solving inflation requires anti-trust legislation to keep the market fair for all who participate, pointing to “middle-men” of private goods as current offenders. “We’re not in a truly free market,” he said.
Mitchell added that because inflation is being seen worldwide, over-spending alone cannot explain the current economic situation.
What should be done on the federal level to address issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion?
Stewart said the federal government should step away from these issues and defer to the states to make the call.
“Our founding father had this vision of united states, where the states had great latitude, great power, to make their own decisions,” Stewart said.
Easley echoed Stewart’s points.
“I really like that the Supreme Court is giving the states back what it is that they were supposed to have in the first place,” Easley said.
Mitchell singled out abortion in his answer, saying he takes issue with abortion being pushed back to the states because “it’s a handful of legislators making the decision for the people.”
Mitchell added that states should place the issue of abortion on the ballot, similar to what Kansas did this year. “The people need to choose,” he said.
Federally, what can be done to help Utah and other western states throughout this drought, and ensure that water is getting where it needs to go?
Ensure that Utah receives its fair share of water per the Colorado River Compact, Stewart answered. The compact is a 1922 agreement between seven western states that governs allocation of water from the Colorado River, which flows through the south-east corner of Utah.
“It’s important to adhere to it because it guarantees a certain percentage of water to Utah,” Stewart said.
Easley agreed with Stewart, but she added that there more accountability should be placed on the federal government to maintain federal lands so water flows where it ought to go.
Mitchell described adhering to the compact as “a good start,” but he said it requires updates and that western states need to work together to pass water conservation bills.
In regards to green technologies like batteries and solar panels, will Utah be seeing an increase in mining activity in the near future?
Easley answered that decisions about mining rare-earth materials in Utah should be left to the state legislature. “The federal government shouldn’t have a say in it,” she said.
Mitchell said the government should help to expedite mining but rejected the notion of mining on federal land deemed sacred to Native American tribes.
“When it comes to renewable energies, it’s important that we get there quick,” Mitchell said.
Stewart disagreed with Mitchell about mining on federal lands. In order for the U.S. to meet green energy goals, Stewart said the country must either expand domestic mining of rare-earth materials or continue to rely on foreign nations.
What can the government do to regain the trust of the American people?
Mitchell said he believes that much of what divides Americans comes out of Washington, D.C., and that removing corporate lobbying will reassure Americans that representatives serve their voters.
He also called for the federal government to address issues head-on instead of “putting a band-aid over them.”
Easley agreed with Mitchell on federal government follow through, but she added that it needs to take a step back and adhere to the constitution as originally written.
“They’re taking authority to do things that they were not given,” Easley said.
Stewart said the greatest threat to the nation is misinformation. “No one knows what is true anymore,” he said, adding that government institutions needs to be held responsible when they mislead the American people.
“I’ve found that almost every American will work towards a solution if you’re just honest with them in the beginning,” Stewart said.
More information about the three candidates, including full platforms, can be found on their respective websites: Rep. Chris Stewart, Nick Mitchell and Cassie Easley. The full debate can be viewed on the Utah Debate Commission’s YouTube channel.
