Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
OGDEN — Thursday's three-person debate between candidates running for Utah's U.S Senate seat saw Rep. John Curtis fend off attacks from both ends of the political spectrum, as Democrat Caroline Gleich and Carlton Bowen tried to cast the congressman as either too conservative or not conservative enough.
Although Curtis was the only Republican on the general election debate stage at Weber State University's Browning Center, he was frequently targeted by Bowen — an Independent American candidate and self-proclaimed "pro-Trump conservative" — for his approach to legislating.
Gleich, on the other hand, repeatedly drew a contrast between the two men and tried to make the case for a "new generation" of leaders in Washington. Here are three key takeaways from the night:
Will the real Republican please stand up?
Bowen is not running as a Republican — he noted that his Independent American Party is the third-largest organized political party in the state — but he sure sounded like one for much of the debate, trying to out-Republican the sitting GOP congressman. He said during his opening statement that he's running as an Independent American to "ensure that you have a pro-Trump conservative option on your ballot."
When asked by moderator Glen Mills about the issue of public lands, Bowen pivoted his answer to attack Curtis for not wholeheartedly backing former President Donald Trump.
"I really appreciate what President Trump did," Bowen said, referring to executive orders slashing the footprint of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. "I am the only pro-Trump candidate on the ballot as my Republican opponent, a former Democrat, refuses to endorse President Trump."
Curtis didn't take the bait in his allotted rebuttal time, saying the discussion was unworthy of "the time of those watching."
"My record on President Trump is clear," he said. "When President Trump is doing things that are aligned with Utah values, I'm 100% behind him, wind at his back, and my record also shows that when he's not, I'm not afraid to push back, and I think that's what Utahns really want."
Bowen continued with the line of attack, calling out Curtis' former association with the Democratic Party in response to questions about water, polarization, immigration, and abortion, and did so again during his closing remarks and statements to the press after the debate concluded.
Curtis defended himself by saying he's "very proud" of what he has done in the past, while acknowledging he was a Democrat some three decades ago, but added: "If you're damning somebody because they were a former Democrat, you have to rule out Donald Trump." He said the back and forth are "exactly what Utah voters are tired of."
Bowen told KSL.com he is a lifelong Republican and said he only ran as an Independent American because he believed the GOP primary would turn out a "Mitt Romney 2.0," and he wanted to give voters another conservative option.
Representing 'the next generation'
When given the stage, Gleich — a professional skier and environmental activist — made the case for her candidacy as a difference, not just ideologically but generationally. At 38, she argued she is best positioned to address the needs of younger Utahns, especially when it comes to housing affordability and climate change.
"I was inspired by the call for the next generation of leaders to step up because it's our generation that's going to have to deal with the issues that Congress is failing to address right now," she said.
While she embraced several typically liberal policy positions — such as increasing taxes on billionaires and ending fossil fuel subsidies — Gleich looked to carve out more moderate positions when it comes to federal spending and immigration.
"I grew up with a family value of frugality ... not spending more than I brought in," she said. "We need the federal government to do the same thing."
"Currently the interest on the federal debt is more than the entire federal budget, and this situation is completely unsustainable," she said.
On immigration, Gleich called for more border agents and better security at the U.S.-Mexico border and condemned what she called "hateful and denigrating rhetoric" directed at migrants in the current political climate.
"Utah was founded by people who came here to find a better life for themselves and their families," she said.
What is the correct approach to climate?
The issue of climate change prompted several interesting discussions, as Curtis' efforts to promote climate awareness among his GOP colleagues prompted derision from both opponents.
Although Gleich and Curtis have both made climate change a key issue and say they believe it to be influenced by human behavior, she condemned the congressman's efforts to create the Conservative Climate Caucus as "nothing more than a fossil fuel-funded delay and distortion tactic."
"We deserve a leader that will address this crisis with the urgency it demands," she told reporters.
Bowen told reporters "the climate is always changing," and expressed doubt that legislation or government action can prevent it.
Curtis said he wished there was more time to focus on climate change discussions during the debate. He said he knows "it means a lot to Caroline" but disagreed with how his opponents portrayed his position.
"I think anybody that has had a chance to hear me talk about climate understands that I do it from a very conservative perspective, so much so that the left would say, 'You're not serious about it,' but I believe that there is a solution for energy needs that's affordable, reliable and clean and doesn't leave us dependent on another country," he said.
He criticized the "climate movement on the left" for creating a standard that "you can never be good enough, that you can never be worthy enough, that you can never do enough to satisfy them."
Other issues
Here's where the candidates stand on other key issues:
Term limits for Supreme Court justices:
- Curtis said he likes the current court and opposes term limits. "I find it ironic that when the Supreme Court is making decisions that are in harmony with an individual's beliefs, somehow it's the fault of the Supreme Court," he said.
- "I absolutely support term limits for our Supreme Court justices and for federal judges," Gleich said. She said she would support 18-year limits, instead of lifetime appointments to the high court.
- Bowen also said he is opposed to term limits, and said: "We just need to have good vetting by the U.S. Senate."
Abortion:
- Curtis supports the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and described himself as "pro-life." "Both mothers and babies are important," he said. "We've got to find a common ground between those, and I think that's best done on the state level."
- Gleich said the Dobbs decision presented "dire, unintended consequences" for women in Utah and around the state. She said, "Utah deserves a U.S. senator that trusts families to make the best decisions for themselves, free from government intervention."
- "Abortion ends a human life without that human life having any input into it," Bowen said. He said he's "100% opposed to abortion" but did not offer a specific policy he would support.
