As the deadline looms, several candidates filed to run for the congressional seat in Utah’s second district this week including the Republican incumbent and the potential Democratic front-runner.
On Wednesday morning, Republican Congressman Chris Stewart met with reporters at the state Capitol as he filed his paperwork to run for re-election. The incumbent won his seat in the 2012 election with more than 60 percent of the vote and he’s confident he’ll post similar numbers when voters turn out in November.
“You know at the end of the day the people in my district are going to evaluate me on two things. One is do I have the background and experience to go back and be a leader in congress? I think that I do. And the second thing is have I represented them? Have I worked hard to represent conservative values and again, I know that I have,” says Stewart.
But Stewart will face at least two Republican challengers when GOP delegates meet in April to nominate candidates. American Fork resident Vaughn Hatton has filed to run and St. George attorney Larry Meyers announced on Monday that he will run as a Republican. On the Democratic side of the ticket, State Senator Luz Robles filed to run on Wednesday. She says her biggest challenge will be connecting with voters outside of Salt Lake County.
“My message has always been to connect with people and that will require a lot of travel and a lot of meeting with people and letting them know that the concerns and the priorities for people in Salt Lake City are similar to the ones in Juab County or Delta, Utah or Tooele County,” says Robles.
The filing deadline for all congressional seats in Utah is Thursday at 5 p.m.