Iron County Democrats hear from candidates, party officials during county convention

Nick Mitchell, candidate for Utah's U.S. Congressional District 2, speaks at Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Iron County Democrats nominated or otherwise expressed their support for both statewide and local candidates during their party’s recent county convention.

Evan McMullin, independent candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during Iron County Democratic Party convention as rival Democratic candidate Kael Weston listens, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The 90-minute meeting, which attracted approximately 50 people, took place April 9 at the SpringHill Suites hotel in Cedar City. In attendance were two U.S. Senate candidates, namely Democrat Kael Weston and Independent Evan McMullin, both of whom are seeking to thwart Sen. Mike Lee’s bid for a third term.

Weston and McMullin took turns addressing the delegates and others in attendance, focusing not on their status as each other’s rivals but on their common desire to unseat Lee.

“The good news is a majority of Utahns want to replace Mike Lee, and that is wonderful news,” McMullin told the audience.

McMullin said the key to defeating Lee lies in whether Democrats, independents and moderate or disaffected Republicans will be able to join forces and get behind one candidate, rather than splitting their votes among several other choices.

“What we are building is a coalition that can win,” he said. 

McMullin said Utahns can’t afford to have Lee in office for another six years.

“We’ve got to beat him,” he said. “And we can, together. If we’re together, we will win.”

“The far right says Evan McMullin wants to turn Utah blue,” McMullin added. “Well, they’re not quite right. I want to turn Utah purple. I want to see better representation, I want to see competition. I want to (put) an end to the supermajority in the state legislature. No one benefits from that.”

Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Meanwhile, Weston indicated he has no intention of bowing out of the race although he did tell McMullin:

“This is the first time I’ve said this. If you and I have to sit at a beautiful mountain spot and have a real conversation about what you and I need to do, I’m open to that. But I think the better way to beat Mike Lee is through a real campaign that puts heat on him.”

Added Weston: “I think that, unfortunately, in a two-way race, because Mike Lee is Mike Lee, there’s a lot of ways to get ugly and to get negative, and we’ve started to see it. I just think that’s not going to be good for our state. I also think that the three-way math is not only the better way for a Democrat potentially to win, it’s probably (also for) others.”

Both Weston and McMullin will appear on the November ballot, as neither faces a primary challenge in June. McMullin later received an added boost from the United Utah Party, which pledged its support of his candidacy during its state convention on April 16.

Lee, meanwhile, also faces multiple challengers from within his own party, including Becky Edwards and Ally Isom, both of whom will appear alongside Lee on the GOP primary ballot in June, as each has collected enough voter signatures.

U.S. Senate candidate Kael Weston speaks at Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Iron County Democrats also heard from both Nick Mitchell and Steve Hartwick, who are two Democratic candidates running for Utah’s U.S. Congressional District 2 seat. They are both vying to unseat incumbent Rep. Chris Stewart, a Republican seeking his sixth term. 

“Right now there’s a deep partisan divide,” Mitchell told the audience as he related a story about how an irate driver took issue with the “Black Lives Matter” bumper sticker on his motorcycle and followed Mitchell and his son, who was a passenger, all while yelling loudly and trying to run them off the road.

“That’s the type of divide that we need to stop,” Mitchell said. “We need to start working together, Republicans and Democrats together, to make this state and country for everybody.”

Hartwick, who wasn’t able to make it to the convention in person due to a conflict, spoke virtually via live video link.

“I’m not running to be a politician,” Hartwick said. “I’m running to be a representative.”

He then went on to explain the difference thusly: “Politicians tend to focus a lot on themselves, their actions are many times self serving, while the well-being of America takes a back seat.” 

Steve Hartwick, candidate for Utah’s U.S. Congressional District 2, speaks via videoconference at Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“True representatives are focused on people, in the ways our forefathers intended,” Hartwick added. “Being a representative is a great opportunity to be a voice to help improve the quality of life for people on a large scale. And that’s what I love about the Democratic platform, is that it’s focused on people, it’s focused on empathy, it’s focused on compassion. We have a powerful message that deserves a voice of advocacy. And I want to be that voice for Utah.”

Iron County Democratic Party chairman Glenn Little noted during his welcome remarks that the party has been in existence in Iron County since 1852, the year Parowan was first settled.

“My great-great-grandfather was one of those settlers,” Little said. “He was an early sheriff of Iron County. And I’d like to think he was an early Democrat, although I can’t prove that.”

Although neither was in attendance, Little also mentioned two local Democrats of note who are currently holding office in Iron County, namely Cedar City Councilman R. Scott Phillips and Enoch Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut, both of whom were reelected to their respective nonpartisan offices last November. 

The delegates in attendance also heard briefly from a couple local candidates.

Iron County School Board candidate Steve Merrill speaks at Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

One was Dallas Guymon, who is challenging incumbent Rex Shipp (R-Cedar City) for his Utah House District 71 seat. Joining Shipp and Guymon on the November ballot will be Piper Manesse of the United Utah Party.

Another local candidate who spoke was Steve Merrill, who is running for a seat on the Iron County School District Board of Education. Merrill joins fellow challengers Billy Davis and Tiffiney Christensen in the nonpartisan race for District 5; the seat is currently occupied by school board president Michelle Lambert, who is not seeking reelection.

The attendees also heard from both Utah Democratic Party chair Diane Lewis and vice chair Oscar Mata.

“If we are going to do what Glenn said and take back the state legislature, it’s not going to be on the backs of Salt Lake County,” Mata said. “It’s going to be working and mobilizing all 29 counties. And I’ll tell you what, the turnout here tonight shows Iron County is next.”

“Republicans are scared,” Mata added. “That’s why they drew the districts the way they did, right? They have to give themselves an advantage. You know, I play basketball. And it’s like playing a pickup game to 21, and they spot themselves 10 points. What we are going to do is we’re going to put the Republicans on defense.”

Rep. Elizabeth Weight (D-West Valley City) also spoke briefly, citing the values and principles of the Democratic Party.

State Rep. Elizabeth Weight (D-West Valley City) speaks at Iron County Democratic Party convention, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“We really are Utah, more than the other party,” Weight said. “And ]we’re Utah because of how we think and what we care about, who we care about.”

“We’re really qualified to serve,” she added. “And because we care, and because we look to the issues and the kinds of things that affect people – not the party – that affect people, and that affect our democracy and our democratic process.”

Weight encouraged those in attendance to spread their influence via word of mouth.

“I truly believe that every single conversation that you have, with anyone in your family or anyone in your neighborhood, anybody in your church congregation, anybody anywhere … makes a difference because it shows who you are. It shows who we are. It shows how we care, how we think, how we work and what we want to accomplish,” Weight said. “So, thank you for being delegates and thank you for being here tonight.”

Next up for the delegates and candidates is the Utah Democratic Convention starting at 8 a.m. Saturday at Cottonwood High School in Murray. For more information about the statewide convention, click here.

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