Utah woman seeks seat in Congress

 

By James Tilson

Staff writer

Dec. 7, 2017

 

MANTI—Telling her audience that “Common sense will be the No. 1 tool that I’ll take with me,” Mary Burkett came to Sanpete County last Thursday, Nov. 30, to stump for her campaign to unseat Republican Congressman Chris Stewart.

Burkett, a resident of St. George, told her audience she got involved in politics with the rise of the Tea Party in the Republican Party.

Her primary motivation to go from working in local politics to running for Congress was because she sensed that the current House representative, Chris Stewart, had become a “career politician.”

She added, “I’m tired of being disappointed by people that want a career in politics.”

Burkett told the audience what she planned to support if she were elected to Congress.

She would defund Planned Parenthood—“They do abortions.”

She would get the federal government out of ***PBS and National Public Radio since their support by the federal government gives them “favored status.”

She would defund the Department of Education, saying the states could handle public education with “common sense.”

She would defund the Environmental Protection Agency. “The federal government is so huge.”

And she would privatize the Veterans Administration. “We’re $20 trillion in debt.”

Burkett also said she was in favor of letting states control most public lands since “environmental groups practice extortion.”

And she was in favor of repealing the 17th Amendment, which instituted the direct election of senators.

Burkett took questions from the audience. Most of the questions reflected audience members’ concern that if she was elected, she might turn into a politician herself.

One man asked her, “How will you keep yourself from being pressured by ‘the system’?”

She answered, “If I say ‘no’ the word will get out.”

She said she had been told her ideas are impractical, to which she replied, “I don’t care. It’s the right thing to do.”

Another in attendance asked how she would respond to pressure from party leaders. She said she would tell them no: “You didn’t get me here.” She went on to say she did not expect support from party leaders and would seek her nomination at the upcoming party caucus.

Burkett also mentioned that the Republican PACs had not made any donations to her yet. Apparently, all of the PACs are awaiting Stewart’s decision on whether he will run for Sen. Orrin Hatch’s seat or stay in his current office.

Burkett said she supports Pres. Donald Trump. “He’s not a complicated man. He wants to be a winner.”

She promised she would work to put good bills in front of him, which she was sure that he would sign. However, she did think his messages on Twitter did not help him. “Please don’t tweet. Stop it,” she pleaded.

She also mentioned the current trend of women accusing men in powerful positions of sexual assault and harassment. “Finally. Glad that women are speaking out, and those guys are getting fired.”