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SALT LAKE CITY — A new attorney general, the state's top cop, will be elected on Nov. 5 to replace Sean Reyes. The incumbent, who is not running for reelection, has served since 2013.
The office has the responsibility of enforcing federal and state laws, representing state agencies before state and federal courts, and serving as a legal counsel to the Utah Legislature and state agencies.
Topics of concern for voters this election cycle, discussed at a debate Oct. 1, include political polarization, public accountability and transparency within the office, immigration policy, campaign financing and federal control of public lands, to name a few.
KSL.com sent each of the five candidates the same set of questions. Candidate submitted biographies and answers, which may have been edited for length, clarity and grammar, appear in alphabetical order.
The candidates
Rudy Bautista (Democrat)
Bautista obtained his bachelor's degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. He dedicated his education to becoming a commissioned military officer to defend the country.
Bautista moved to Utah to attend law school at Brigham Young University and knew immediately this was home. He has spent his entire legal career defending the integrity of the criminal justice system, and the last 25 years defending the Constitution. He started as a public defender and now operates his own law firm.
Derek Brown (Republican)
Brown is a prominent Utah attorney, previous member of the House of Representatives, and former chairman of the Utah Republican Party. He has practiced law with two of the largest law firms in the country and served as a law clerk with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
As attorney general, he will continue to fight the federal government on public land policy, immigration, and energy independence. Most importantly, Brown will support and defend the Constitution. Brown and his wife, Emilie, are the parents of four children and reside in Cottonwood Heights.
Austin Hepworth (Unaffiliated)
Hepworth is independent from any party and strongly believes our country's best days are still ahead. He has practiced law for 14 years in areas ranging from constitutional law to tax, business and property law.
Hepworth has been involved in legal issues around the country and has worked hard to protect and stand for rights, as well as to help others understand and apply the law. He is a father of eight children, he enjoys a good game of pickleball, loves a good hamburger, and values the liberties that help make our country the place we call home.
W. Andrew McCullough (Libertarian)
McCullough has practiced law in Utah for over 50 years and is an experienced trial attorney with court appearances before appellate courts in several states and in federal courts. He has dealt with the Utah Attorney General's Office many times and has become aware of the need for changes in that office.
McCullough is originally from New York state but has lived in Utah since 1966. He is a graduate of both BYU and the University of Utah.
Michelle Quist (United Utah Party)
Quist is an experienced litigator and appellate advocate who started her career over 25 years ago. She began at a Wall Street law firm, worked as a tax fellow for Sen. Orrin Hatch, clerked for a federal appellate judge, served two terms as a Utah Bar commissioner, and has been appointed to Utah court committees by the governor and the Utah Supreme Court.
Quist is running as a nonpartisan candidate to untether the office from party politics and their purse strings. She intends to increase transparency, support local law enforcement, and end government corruption. Politics don't belong in law enforcement.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first 100 days in office?
Bautista:
I would meet with every employee of the office, get a sense of what they do and assess if any improvements could be made. I would then review every lawsuit pending and determine the viability; determine whether it's fruitful, not economically feasible, or without sound legal basis. I would also determine what powers the attorney general has to ensure we have more police officers patrolling the streets. We need to bring an end to road rage and DUI incidents, as they are the greatest threat to our public safety.
Brown:
As attorney general, I have three priorities I will work on in my first 100 days:
- Supporting the hundreds of professionals working in the office.
- Pushing back against federal government expansion, particularly in areas where they are overreaching and violating the rights of Utahns.
- Protecting the rights of Utahns, including those who are the most vulnerable.
These priorities will guide everything I do during the first 100 days.
Hepworth:
I hope to focus on cleaning up the office itself. I believe there are many good people working in the office, but the office has suffered overall from a lack of appropriate checks and balances, transparency, and ties for too long to one party. I believe strongly that before the attorney general's office can reach its potential, it needs to be established on a healthy foundation, and so the priority would be to set things right internally before any other priority.
McCullough:
I will make dedication to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights a priority. I will not support censorship or book banning. I will work to grant people rights over their bodies and their privacy. I will stop the lost cause of preventing marijuana use in our state, which is surrounded by "legal states." I will review state policies about removing children from their homes. I would work to avoid removing children from their homes unless really necessary.
Quist:
My first step would be to make the attorney general's calendar public information and to drop the pending lawsuit against the Utah media companies. I also intend to improve our office's e-discovery methods (which a district court has found to be unreliable and "haphazard"), increase support for county prosecutors and law enforcement agencies, improve talent retention in the office, and ensure all county law enforcement agencies are implementing lethality assessment protocols in all domestic violence interactions.
What steps will you take to improve the transparency and trust within the attorney general's office?
Bautista:
I would immediately withdraw any objection to the media request for elected official calendars and join the press is voicing the law enacted in declaring them private. I would create a citizen review board to oversee the operations of the attorney general's office. I would also ensure that all actions of the attorney general's office when contracting with private entities are made public and open for bidding with Utah businesses getting first preference. Finally, I would make my income taxes public to ensure my only pay is my salary as attorney general.
Brown:
Building public trust requires honesty, crucial conversations, and regular communication and transparency with the public. This is why I have committed to transparency in key areas of the office, such as making my calendar public. The more that the public understands what it is that an elected official is doing, and can see whether that is being done, the more that trust can be maintained with the public.
Hepworth:
I am independent from any party, and I believe this is a crucial piece in having the attorney general's office function well, as it should be focused on law, not politics. When we remove the office from conflicts and bias, trust can exist by enforcing the law equally and fairly. In addition, I will work to make the law more accessible and understandable to Utahns, share far more of what goes on in the office, and meet with the public regularly.
McCullough:
I will only serve one term. I will not use it as a stepping stone to higher office. I will not grandstand and I will not use the office to advance the political agenda of any national party. I will be honest in my dealings the other government officials and with the people. I will run the office for the benefit of the people of the state of Utah, and I always will have the inherent rights of the people in mind when I make decisions.
Quist:
I will act swiftly to make the attorney general's calendar public information. The attorney general is a public official. Her staffing, public calendar, financing, and other public decisions should be transparent to taxpayers. Under my administration, there will be nothing to hide. I will also act as a watchdog toward state officials to ensure government actors are following state law. I intend to advocate for strong ethical guidelines, ensure laws are followed, and remove partisan influence from the office.
