In Utah no Democrat has been elected to the Senate since 1972, so the actual contest for the Senate occurs in the Republican primary election.
Unaffiliated voters who would like their votes to count may make a difference this year, if they are willing to register as Republicans and vote in the Republican primary.
I strongly believe that most of these voters will join most Republicans in supporting Becky Edwards for senator, once they learn the differences between her record and that of Sen. Lee.
Becky Edwards has spent her legislative career working collaboratively to pass legislation that will improve the lives of Utah families.
For example, she got the first resolution acknowledging climate change through the state legislature by sitting down with every House Republican who opposed it and refining the language and content so that it would be acceptable to the majority of both parties.
This resolution led to the Utah roadmap for clean air and climate solutions, and the Utah Climate and Clean Air Compact. She then became chair of the bipartisan Clean Air Caucus. Edwards works pro-actively for solutions.
Lee, on the other hand, has been mostly against everything, even voting no on the Opioid Crisis Response Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Violence Against Women Act.
He did lead out, however, in shutting down the federal government for 16 days, costing the country $24 billion. He has passed only four bills in 12 years, and two of those were to name buildings. It is not enough for a legislator to oppose what he considers wrong; an effective legislator will work with the other party to craft legislation useful to his constituents.
Becky Edwards is beholden only to the people of Utah and works for them. She will be aware of and responsive to the needs of Utahns. Her highest priorities are family prosperity, air quality and responsible government spending.
Lee, however, works far too much for ex-President Trump. Trump endorsed him, and recently held a fund raiser at Mara Lago. As recently released emails between Sen. Lee and Mark Meadows have shown, Lee spent long hours and many days after the 2020 election trying to help Trump replace legitimate electoral college delegates with illegal slates favorable to Trump.
Like his boss, Lee still refuses to say that the 2020 presidential election was fair, all the while knowing that it was. In an Arizona rally, Lee claimed Donald Trump to be like Captain Moroni of the Book of Mormon, which assertion was the last straw for many LDS voters.
That’s why Republicans and unaffiliated voters need to vote for Becky Edwards in the Republican primary election. But for unaffiliated voters to do so, they must register as Republicans. They can go to the website vote.utah.gov or go to the Sanpete County Clerk’s office by June 17, or they can go to the clerk’s office on election day, June 28, and affiliate at the time they vote.
This election is critical. We must put a stop to the hostile, factional partisanship in Congress represented by Mike Lee, and elect Becky Edwards to the Senate.
Sue Young
Ephraim
