By: Kyle Garahana
The soon to be vacant Congressional seat opening up for the 3rd district will be highly sought after given the 20+ candidates in the field. Through out this rare special election process, we will follow the campaigns and get to know the candidates. Today we will cover the three Democratic candidates that are all vying for most likely one spot in the primary election.
Kathie Allen: Or should I say Dr. Kathie Allen, as her website states. She is a graduate of the University of Utah and worked her own private practice in West Valley for 23 years. After being president of the of Pioneer Hospital Family Practice Office twice and holding several other highly acclaimed positions on multiple medical boards, Allen shifted to a role as physician for the Utah Transit Authority so she could work less and soon retire. But, according to her website, the recent presidential election changed her mind and sparked her interest in getting involved in politics and thus running for Jason Chaffetz’s Congressional seat. Her strong stance on rebuilding Obamacare and her staunch disapproval of Mr. Chaffetz and the current administration forms her narrative heading in to the election.
Ben Frank: Coined a “progressive activist” Ben’s background stems heavily from working with the disabled as well as volunteering for Bernie Sanders during his recent campaign. He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT and like candidate Allen, is very critical of Jason Chaffetz as well as President Trump.
Carl Ingwell: The likely favorite to win the primary election for the Democratic Party, Ingwell is an environmental lobbyist with a far more experience political background than the other candidates. Like Frank he was born and raised in Utah, and claims to have experience working in the 3rd District before. He also claims on his website that he is “not just another politician”.
So those are your Democratic Candidates for the upcoming special election. Do any of them truly stand a chance in a historically very red district? We shall see. Next week we will get to know the very crowded field of Republican candidates.
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