Utah Congressional 3 Race

Mike Kennedy – Qualified at Convention

Mike Kennedy is a primary care family doctor that has been serving in the state senate for the last 4 years. Before that he served in the state house for 6 years. He had a small break between them when he ran against Mitt Romney for the Senate.

When asked what he is currently reading or has recently read Mike listed –
The Return of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
Narnia (to his daughter) – C.S. Lewis

Mike has been a doctor for 25 years and likes to prevent problems before they happen. He asks “What can we do today to make the future better?” He believes that there are way too many bills and prefers to spend his time stopping bad legislations instead of making more. 

One bill that he did get passed is a ban on transgender surgery for minors. He worked closely with a lot of groups to get input and it has been a year since its passage and nobody has filed a lawsuit against it. He said that knows some things but doesn’t know everything and enjoys learning from others.

Mike talked about the border crisis and how cartels are running the border currently. He said there is an overwhelming wave of illegal individuals that are utilizing resources that are intended for legal residents. His dad is an immigrant from Canada but came here legally. Mike supports securing our border and fixing our broken immigration system.

Mike also sees the national debt as a national crisis. He is willing to work with anybody that is willing to work on it. Mike said that he is the only one running who has passed complicated legislation in the last decade.

When asked about how you deal with the heightened drama in DC, he said that a lot of people are doing good work quietly. It isn’t about soundbites and TV cameras, but good legislation. He can handle the drama when it comes but he doesn’t create it.

Mike said that Congressman Curtis has done a great job at reaching out and inviting all legislators to hear about issues in personal meetings. He also spends a lot of time meeting with the public. He wants to continue doing that. Mike said that he loves the people of Utah and has demonstrated that with 10 years of public service. He would love to keep serving and advocate for conservative principles in Washington.

John Dougall – Qualified through signatures

John “Frugal” Dougall has been the state auditor for the last 11 years and was a state representative for the previous 10. He received his BS, MS, and MBA from BYU. 

When asked what he is currently reading or has recently read Dougall listed –
Recently read:
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
The Abundant University: Remaking Higher Education for a Digital World
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
His law school textbooks
Currently reading:
A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland
Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier

Dougall started talking about how we are not well suited for the next war with drones, AI, and hypersonic weapons. He said that according to the Wall Street Journal, China has 51% of the world’s capacity for ship building and the US was listed in Other. China can make an aircraft carrier in 2 ½ years and it takes us 7. Great Britain would take 2-3 years to restart their munitions plants and only had very limited ammunition currently. China mines 60% and refines 90% of rare earth metal, which are critical to electronics and smart weapons. He doesn’t want to force or bribe companies to be here but there are a lot of taxes, regulations, and restrictions keeping them away.

For him fiscal issues are the most pressing. We are spending more on debt servicing this year than national defense. Defense, including border security, is the top priority and everything else should be left to the states or the people. Dougall said that most of Congress aren’t numbers people and we will have to have a 23% cut in benefits in a decade if nothing is done with Social Security. We have to touch it and change the retirement age. People want more control of their future and he supports a hybrid public/private model for investment instead of the current way Social Security is handled.  He said that any changes to the Social Security retirement age wouldn’t change the 401(k) retirement age.

Dougall said that Utah does very well as a state at managing its budget. One-time revenue goes to one-time expenses. Sometimes ongoing revenue goes to one-time expenses as well, for more flexibility. Dougall loves diving in to see the details. He talked about Project KIDS, which he drove as auditor. It gets data for every student in every school since 2014 and you can compare various schools on spending per student and what results you get for that money, from AP test scores to grades. It assigns each student an internal id, which is now exposed publicly. And by looking at the data you can have more effective oversight.

Dougall also has some privacy concerns with big tech, especially when they have adapted their algorithms to prey on people. The public is uncertain about AI. Do we stifle innovation and let China get ahead? Americans have a better respect for human dignity and life. Dougall has a background in innovation and tech startups, working with image compression and transmitting data on cell networks many years ago.

Dougall describes himself as an eternal optimist and doesn’t let himself get sucked into the drama. He said that when others are working against him, he needs to work harder to help them see his perspective. You can get a lot done if you don’t care who gets the credit. You need to help others win. The work is a brutal slog with no silver bullet.

Dougall is concerned that the Federal Reserve is looking into its own digital currency, like bitcoin. This would mean that all transactions that use it would go through them. This would eliminate a lot of privacy with transactions and could be used to limit what people can spend money on.
The Risks of CBDCs | Cato Institute

He is also concerned with the SEC’s proposal to track investments without even needing a warrant.

https://www.cato.org/commentary/sec-starting-massive-database-every-stock-trade

Another big issue is public lands. A big part of the district is rural and Dougall is an “All of the above” energy guy. We should be energy dominant and supply the world. Energy consumption is a measure of our economic strength, and we need affordable and reliable power. Some technologies may look cleaner when they are installed but are a mess to mine and dispose of. Let the market sort it out, not have the government pick favorites.

He appreciates that Congressman Curtis has had incredible outreach and traveled the district to meet with many constituents. Dougall said that Curtis also scored the most conservative with Club For Growth among Utah’s House delegation.

Dougall has spent years fighting to keep the government off your back and out of your wallet. He has fought pointless programs and has been a watchdog as an auditor. He said the federal government is 7x what it needs to be and asks the question “Will my grandson have a better life than me?” He encourages others to visit his website and try to balance the budget with his budget widget.

JR Bird – Qualified through signatures

JR was born and raised in the Uintah Basin and grew up poor. His house burnt down and his family ended up living in a shed. His parents rebuilt their home, living paycheck to paycheck. JR was amazed with what his parents were able to do with hard work and determination.

When asked what he is currently reading or has recently read, JR listed –
Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans – Peter Schweizer
Bettering Human Lives – Chris Wright

Later JR built his own home and started his first business, in the oil and gas industry, 16 years ago. He is currently in the supply industry. 10 years ago he ran for the city council of Roosevelt and was elected. He quickly noticed major transparency issues and noticed that city ordinances and the state code were being violated. JR became the mayor 6 years ago in an effort to clean things up. He added 5 citizen committees to help and is currently finishing his 2nd term. One thing they added was term limits.

JR believes that he has the experienced background, mindset, and skill set for Congress. He added that “We have to solve the issues within our own party before we become the party of solutions”.

We have a $1.8 trillion deficit per year. JR believes that his experience turning around businesses with his knack with finance and his ability to find solutions to complex problems will be essential when tackling the debt. We need to pass a budget for once and follow the budgetary process. Congress needs to have their hands tied until they can pass a budget. They hold the purse strings and need to take the job seriously.

Another thing that JR will focus on is single subject bills. He said 41 of the state legislatures have laws requiring this internally. This forces Congress to focus on one thing at a time and doesn’t allow extra unrelated pork projects to be added.

JR also wants to help educate the public. One of the big problems in Roosevelt was a good ol’ boys club that existed for years because people didn’t know the laws, even the city council. Once people know the laws they can put pressure on elected officials.

He has studied the budget for over a year and said that if you cut all the discretionary spending, you may balance the budget. The budget is currently 16-17% of the GDP. We will need to cut spending and cut back on entitlement programs. JR also said that he wants to expand the energy sector to grow the economy. He appreciates that Congressman Curtis is part of the Conservative  

The only uranium enrichment plant in the US is in Blanding and we get our rare earth minerals from China. JR said that we aren’t producing microchips and we need to unleash our economic engine. If we can increase our GDP by 15%, we can add $1 trillion to our federal budget. He also wants to privatize social security.

JR said that Mike Johnson was mostly correct when he said that the President can fix the border today, if he wanted to. It’s the president’s constitutional responsibility to enforce the laws that have been passed by congress. This includes detaining people that are seeking asylum. Biden is breaking the law and lying to Congress. We need to start by having Congress and the judicial branch hold the executive branch accountable for not implementing the laws that are already in place.

JR praised Congressman Curtis for being one of the most accessible congressmen that we have ever seen and wants to follow that example. He wants to put his experience in business, finance, and the energy sector and his experience dealing with immigration as an ecclesiastical leader to good use.

Stewart Peay – Qualified through signatures

Stewart grew up in Mapleton and studied economics at BYU. He was a missionary for his church in St. Petersburg, Russia. While at BYU, he was in the Army ROTC and served in the Army National Guard. He spent 10 months in Baghdad and 2 months in Kuwait City as an intelligence officer, briefing General Sanchez on behalf of the Iraq Survey Group. In 2002 he graduated law school and has worked for Snell & Wilmer for over 20 years.

When asked what books he was reading or had recently read, Stewart listed –
With Malice Toward None: A Biography of Abraham Lincoln – Stephen Oates
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues: A Leadership Fable –
Patrick M. Lencioni

Stewart was also the Utah County GOP Chair from 2019-2021, helping get the party out of debt and function during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has also served as a Commissioner of the Lone Peak Little League for 7 years.

As part of his work, he has been able to settle 99% of cases and has been told by others that he does a great job at keeping things civil. You can almost always work things out. He spent the summer of 2000 at the Baker McKenzie office in Moscow, dealing with various legal issues there.

For Stewart the border is the biggest issue. People who cross the border are okayed by the cartels and the cartels appear to have more control of the border than we do. We need to take on the cartels and get immigration under control. Asylum seekers coming through Mexico should be required to apply for asylum in Mexico before they apply in America. Stewart said he may even support extraterritorial action against the cartels.

The second issue is the national debt. It is a huge concern and we are paying more in interest than defense this year. Only 30% of the budget is discretionary and 70% is entitlements. Social Security needs to be changed to keep it solvent. He supports increasing the retirement age for those who aren’t close to retiring and understands the angst that people feel who have contributed their whole lives. Stewart also believes that the state should take a greater role in funding transportation and education. He does look at the costs of programs and think that some are extremely beneficial based on the return on investment for the state. He has a deaf daughter who was able to get some early intervention which has helped her succeed in school and become a more productive member of society at a much lower cost than would have otherwise been the case for the state.

National security is a big concern. We should support the Ukrainians with ammunition and weapons and provide them with the ability to fight the Russians and require the Ukrainians to be transparent about the weapons and ammunition provided to them. He doesn’t think they will be able to take back the Donbas region though. We need to show the bullies we will fight them. If we don’t, it is an invitation to Xi to take more chances with Taiwan. It is worth spending more money on. The ROI is much cheaper than an attack at the Polish border. or China attacking Taiwan.

Stewart said that in Washington, you need to figure out who your allies are and find out what items you can actually go after.

Case Lawrence – Qualified through signatures

Case Lawrence is an entrepreneur that founded and built SkyZone, an indoor trampoline park. He started with 1 location and now has over 300 locations throughout the world. He stepped down from the CEO role in 2019 but is still active on the board.

When asked what book he is currently reading or has recently read, Case listed
Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans – Peter Schweizer
Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson

Case did his undergraduate at BYU and went to law school at Duke. He practiced law for a few years before starting his own business. Case is currently an adjunct professor at BYU in the Marriott School of Business, teaching entrepreneurship. He really enjoys the energy he gets from the students and the opportunities he has to mentor them and help develop their ideas.

Case interned for Senator Hatch many years ago and has always held out the possibility of running himself. The last two years he has felt a profound sense of urgency about the direction of the country. Now he is in a place where he can do it and this is an actual race where he can make an impact.

Case said that his unique experiences and background make him a great candidate for this race. He said that he has been on the front lines of every economic crisis of our generation. This includes the Covid-19 pandemic, which shut down his parks for varying amounts of time. The average length was 7 ½ months. Because they were owned by private equity, they didn’t qualify for the Payment Protection Program (PPP) money during the pandemic. He had to figure out how to get by and make things work. Experiences like this have given him a much better understanding of how the economy works and how to handle a financial crisis.

Case believes that the border is our most urgent issue. With so many military age men from China, the Middle East, and Russia entering the country illegally, it is a national security emergency. Fentanyl, which comes over the border, is now the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18-45. He said it is also creating an economic crisis with millions coming here filling up the entitlement rolls. These programs are already headed to insolvency. This is becoming more of a bipartisan issue and he wishes the Republicans would have not shown down recent border legislation but countered and let the Democrats say no. He said we need to start with securing the border.

Case said that we need leadership in our own caucus and we need to get unified and be smarter team players. We need men and women of stature who can lead the caucus, not influencers. Unfortunately, we are in an age of performative politics.

His second priority is fixing entitlements. The studies Case has looked at suggest that we need to both change the retirement age and have a means test which looks at income and assets when determining benefits. He would leave the specifics to others but doesn’t want to affect people already well into the system.

His third priority is growing the economy. He said that there is no better correlation to a strong American economy than an unleashed energy sector. Case said that we need to stimulate federal land leases and have permitting reform. This is a big issue for the 3rd district as we have a lot of energy we can develop. Domestic energy independence should be our goal. He talked about how oil from the Uintah basin is too waxy to move through a pipeline, unless it is heated to 110 degrees. The rail line crossed Colorado for a mile and they were able to shut the project down.

Case praised Congressman John Curtis as a great representative for the 3rd District. He is a man with great character and has represented Utah well. He has heard from many different communities how much they love him.

Zac Wilson – Lost at convention

Zac Wilson is currently the chair of the Utah Young Republicans. He graduated from BYU in finance and was the president of the finance club while there. He currently works for Northrock, which is part of Cherokee and Walker, where he helps with fundraising for businesses and closing deals.

When asked what he is currently reading or has recently read Zac listed –
The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius
Mornings on Horseback – David McCullough
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon – Michale Lewis
Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson

Zac was to help this country get focus back to things that make our government incredible. This list includes states’ rights, reigning in our disastrous fiscal habits, and restoring a sense of American idealism for young people.

Zac said that CD 3 is the youngest district in the youngest state. He really likes Congressman Blake Moore. He put his head down and worked hard and is on the Ways and Means committee and in several leadership roles.

Zac wants to rethink how higher education works. He wants to make student loans private and move some of the subsidy money from universities to trade schools and wants a task force to determine the specifics. The goal is to create more useful grads.

Zac thinks that social security can become more privatized and maybe even moved back to the states. Another thing Zac wants to focus on is to thoughtfully readjust accredited investor thresholds. Currently you need a very high income / net worth to be able to participate in many investments. He wants to look into lowering those limits. 

He also wants to help engage students, much like Congressman Moore has done. In his role with the Young Republicans, he is trying to create county chapters to better engage young professionals.

Chris Herrod – Lost at convention

Chris has a Masters Organizational Behavior BYU and taught classes for 2 years at two different universities in Ukraine. He also lived in Moscow and worked for a marketing company. Currently he is a mortgage officer and buys and sells cars.

When asked what books he is currently reading or has recently read Chris listed
Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy America – Qiao Liang

Chris is no stranger to politics and was a state representative until 2012. He ran for congress back in 2017, winning the special convention but losing in the GOP Primary to John Curtis. He ran again in 2018 and 2022. Chris said that 98% of incumbents win so he is running again now that the seat is open because Curtis is running for Senate.

Chris said that nobody in the race has a consistent / proven record with illegal immigration that he has and even wrote the book The Forgotten Immigrant. He said that if you don’t understand the threat that illegal immigration poses, then you don’t understand simple economics. Chris said that we are the only state that gives drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and that they have caused housing prices to double. It is now $1500 for a 1 bedroom BYU apartment. Chris also said that 8 million have illegally entered our country in the last three years.

Chris continued that if you don’t understand the threat that China poses or Marxism if you don’t understand illegal immigration. He called it an existential threat.  He lamented that EVerify, a bill that he had helped pass, was gutted two years ago. It has stopped child identity theft. Chris called it a political IQ test.

He said that legal immigrants have some of the strongest feelings against illegal immigrants and talked about how he had to travel to Moscow four times to help his wife, who is from Ukraine, come to this country legally. He was glad that his dad was able to sponsor his wife, as Chris didn’t have the required assets to sponsor her himself. In doing so, his dad became liable for her healthcare and told Chris to always have health insurance.

Chris said that illegal immigration is bankrupting our country as laws aren’t being followed. He said that the Heritage Foundation found that illegal immigrants, on average, have less than a high school education, and take $306k in government benefits over their lifetime. Chris said that he and David Kirkham started the tea party in 2009 and the debt now is far larger. Inflation punished those who live the way they should. Things have only gotten worse since he left the state legislature in 2012. When asked why he should be sent to Congress when he hasn’t been effective at changing the laws, he said because he has been talking about them for a long time.

Chris then talked about Covid and the government shutting things down. He said that they should have realized that the same number of people are going to want to buy houses. Chris didn’t think the government should prevent people from working and talked about how his kids were hurt by the covid restrictions and kids have 4x the anxiety now, partly from being so isolated. He said that kids were taught to not go out. Chris said that there are proven cases for heart issues from the vaccine and that people shouldn’t be forced to get it.

Chris believes that people should decide for themselves. He doesn’t hide what he believes and looks forward to getting to know the delegates.

Kathryn Dahlin – Lost at convention

Kathryn graduated from BYU in political science and then moved to DC and was a senate staffer for 10 years and helped lobby for software companies. She worked for Bob Bennett and after he lost, she moved to Utah (2010). She then started consulting with different companies with government relations, transportation, and housing.

In 2014 she started having kids and 6-7 years ago she started attending PTA meetings and started serving on multiple PTA boards, volunteering in schools, church and her community. She said that she saw that people were more and more disappointed with elected officials. Reelection becomes their #1 issue and they spend 70% of their time fundraising. She said that her #1 interest isn’t reelection.

Kathryn said that most people are disappointed with Congress and that although they aren’t necessarily disappointed with their congressman. Her #1 interest is the national debt. She said that we went over $3 trillion during Covid and that we need to return to pre-covid levels of spending. She also likes Senator Rand Paul’s Festivus report, which details wasteful spending. Kathryn does miss the extra child tax credit during covid and wishes we could get our financial houses in order so we can have programs like that. She also wants to deal with social security and medicare, but not touch benefits of those close to retiring.

Kathryn does want to look again at how social media is regulated. She wants to have a light hand when it comes to regulating tech companies. She did talk about how forums and isps are not currently liable for content and wants to revisit that but didn’t have a solid proposal.

Immigration is a really important issue as well. She is disappointed that the house didn’t take up Langford’s bill and that Trump shouldn’t have told people to oppose it. We need more action and less talking about it.

As a longtime state delegate, Kathryn is enjoying connecting with her fellow delegates and being a voice for those in CD-3 who are looking for a different kind of leader in Washington. Kathryn believes that Politicians have failed us and they are failing our children with the trillions of dollars of debt they are leaving behind for future generations. She wants to fight for our children now.

Lucky Bovo – Lost at convention

Did not respond to a request to interview him.

Clayton Hunsaker

Clayton dropped out of the race.