Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- A mostly civil debate for Utah's 3rd Congressional District ended when Democrat Glenn Wright made a disparaging comment to his opponent Mike Kennedy, a Republican.
- Wright criticized Kennedy for supporting Donald Trump, which he said makes him dangerous, while Kennedy said he was shocked by the comment.
- The debate tackled key issues such as housing affordability, with Kennedy advocating for deregulation to lower costs, while Wright called for coordinated government action and zoning reforms.
PROVO — Civility extended through the hourlong debate for Utah's 3rd Congressional District seat Thursday night but culminated at the end of the broadcast with Democrat Glenn Wright making a disparaging comment to state Sen. Mike Kennedy as the opponents shook hands.
Kennedy, a Republican from Alpine, alluded to the interaction after the debate, telling reporters the smiling exchange was accompanied by a comment that was "frankly shocking."
"I don't think we should use foul language as we're working on these important issues," Kennedy said.
The exchange wasn't captured on the live feed of the debate, but a production assistant confirmed Wright could be heard telling Kennedy: "You sling some real bull (expletive)."
"I told him he was a — he had a good line of B.S. Very professional," Wright said. "Because I think a lot of his answers didn't really answer the question. That's why. Probably half of his answers were just, you know, rhetoric."
Asked if the comment was appropriate, Wright said, "Why not? It showed him what I thought of him. I don't think he deserves to be elected to this office. I think he will be a danger to the country and to Utah."
Wright said Kennedy's support for former President Donald Trump is what makes him dangerous, calling the Republican presidential nominee "a serious threat to our Constitution and to our national defense."
But when asked by KSL.com how the comment would sit with the voters in Utah's 3rd District — the majority of whom are Republican and likely to vote for Trump — Wright said he wasn't concerned.
"I think I talked the issues. And those things, the issues, I hope they'll vote for me," he said, before adding: "I don't have to like my opponent."
The Utah Debate Commission issued a statement directing inquiries about the incident — which occurred after the end of the official broadcast and before the candidates took questions from reporters — to the campaigns themselves.
Housing affordability
The final exchange was out of step with the rest of the debate, which was held at BYU's Broadcast Center and moderated by Leah Murray, the Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at Weber State University.
For the preceding 60 minutes, both candidates expressed their vision for the next two years in office, addressing a range of topics from housing affordability to immigration. Kennedy frequently singled out the federal government as an obstacle to progress and called for loosening regulations to combat various issues.
On housing, Kennedy said Utah's housing prices have increased in part due to the quality of life the state has to offer.
"Because it's a great state and a great place to live, we actually have a lot of people that want to come here and live here," he said. "When government gets involved, we make it worse."
To that end, he said Congress should allow more development on federal lands and decrease tariffs and taxes on building supplies in an effort to bring down building costs. He added that "burdensome regulations are ruining our housing market."
Wright said he believes housing is an "all of government problem," requiring coordination between the federal government, state and local authorities. He said cities are primarily responsible for zoning laws that prevent the building of more affordable units but said Congress should offer more incentives for zoning reform by "targeting grant money for those cities and counties to help them build."
Artificial intelligence
Although the issue of artificial intelligence hasn't come up often during previous candidate debates this election cycle, Kennedy and Wright were asked about their approaches to regulating the rapidly evolving technology — and both were relatively sanguine about its prospects.
Wright said the technology has the potential to greatly improve efficiency in the workforce but was skeptical about certain uses, particularly in wartime. A combat veteran who flew hundreds of missions during the Vietnam War, Wright said he was nervous about using AI to select targets on the battlefield.
"We need to have very serious controls over the final decision-making in that process," he said.
Kennedy said he sees artificial intelligence as a "powerful resource" and doesn't believe in doomsday scenarios inspired by science fiction films such as "The Matrix." He called for a "light hand" on regulation by Congress, concerned that regulations could stifle emerging businesses and technologies.
Immigration
When it comes to addressing immigration and the southern border, the candidates appeared to be broadly in agreement that the U.S. should do more to secure the southern border while expanding opportunities for legal immigration.
Wright said he would have supported bipartisan border legislation proposed earlier this year but accused Trump of quashing its prospects for electoral purposes. He also emphasized addressing the issues in Central and South American countries that have led to increased numbers of migrants at the border.
"We need workers in this country," he said. "We need to have more legal immigration in this country."
Kennedy said his father was an immigrant, and also expressed the need for pathways for legal immigration, but blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for "feckless" handling of border security.
"I'm deeply focused on, first, our border needs to be secure," he said. "Second, we need to improve legal immigration."
