Republican candidates for open U.S. House seat in Utah split over aid to Ukraine

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — All five Republicans fighting for Utah’s only open U.S. House seat agreed in a debate Wednesday that they see an urgent need to reduce federal spending, but only a few said the cut military aid to Ukraine would be an effective way to achieve this goal.

The crowded field of candidates is competing to represent Utah’s sprawling 3rd District, which spans the entire eastern border of the state and groups together vastly different communities, from the winter resort town of Park City, to the urban center of Provo, to the Rock Red Moab Recreation Center.

In April Republican Party Conventionstate Sen. Mike Kennedy has received official party approval for the seat that U.S. Rep. John Curtis is vacating to run for US Senate. But in a district that represents such a wide range of views and lifestyles, Kennedy’s support from delegates, who tend to lean more to the right than Republican voters, may not be enough to carry him. until the June 25 primaries.

He was joined at the debate on Wednesday by four candidates who had already secured their primary spots before the convention by collecting signatures.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Glenn Wright, a former Summit County councilman, in November. The Republican Party candidate is heavily favored to win in a district that has not been represented by a Democrat since 1997.

Among the Republican candidates is Stewart Peay, a lawyer and former U.S. Army captain from Alpine, endorsed by his wife’s uncle, retiring US Senator Mitt Romney. While Peay has previously said Romney’s support was a watershed moment for his campaign, he presented himself on Wednesday as having a more conservative bent than his famously moderate family member.

State Auditor John Dougall has also leaned into conservative talking points, despite having built a social media strategy around his criticism of certain Republican-backed legislation.

A series of sketches show Dougall reading a newspaper in the bathroom and emerging from a bathroom stall to air his frustrations at being the state official in charge of impose a ban on transgender people using public restrooms or locker rooms inconsistent with birth sex. He calls the state Legislature an “invasive and overly aggressive” body that he says often fails to seek input from those most affected by policies.

Dougall’s “bathroom monitor” persona significantly increased his name recognition and caught the attention of many moderate voters eager to support someone willing to challenge the Republican Party’s hard line. But Dougall refrained from attacking his party during the debate, instead praising his anti-abortion views and years of auditing experience that he says will help him reduce federal spending.

Cutting off military aid to Ukraine while the country continues to resist a Russian invasion is not the way to do it, he said.

Peay agreed and urged Congress to continue sending weapons and ammunition to help the Ukrainian military. He and Case Lawrence, founder of a national empire of indoor trampoline parks, stressed that withdrawing U.S. support would demonstrate weakness on the world stage.

“I don’t believe in outside help. I believe in foreign investment, in investing in American interests,” Lawrence said. “Future aid to Ukraine will be based on facts on the ground and how they affect American interests.”

Kennedy and JR Bird, mayor of the city of Roosevelt in northeastern Utah, said that although it pains them to see Ukraine devastated by war, it is not in the interest of US authorities to continue financing their fight.

Republicans in Congress are also divided over whether to continue sending urgently needed weaponry to Ukraine. The Ukrainian military suffered major setbacks during a months-long financing impasse on Capitol Hill and has since burned through foreign aid faster than expected.

Bird, who cast himself as the only candidate from a rural part of the district, said the U.S. needs to shift its focus from military funding to targeting Russia with stronger sanctions. He criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for what he considers to be a waste of money to solve the problem, when there are more strategic ways for the US to assert its influence.

Kennedy agreed, adding that he would urge the US to confiscate Russian assets and “make them pay for the mess they have created for us.”

“We can’t be the whole world’s policeman,” Kennedy said. “We don’t have the money to do all this. Our grandchildren do not deserve us to accumulate more national debt to support international wars that are not directly in our national security interests.”

Wednesday ended a marathon Republican primary debate in Utah. Challengers for two of Utah’s four congressional seats faced off Monday, followed by the four Republicans fighting for Romney’s US Senate seat. Candidates for governor and the attorney general’s open position debated on Tuesday.