Republican Rep. Burgess Owens faced Democratic candidate Katrina Fallick-Wang Thursday at the University of Utah to win voters’ support in Utah’s 4th congressional district.
The first question asked was why each candidate is qualified for the role and why they want the role.
Owens said he felt that Utah was one of the few states left that still upheld the values he was raised on, faith, family and free market education.
Fallick-Wang said she is not a politician but is qualified for Congress because she knows what it’s like to be a hard-working mother and a family woman in Utah.
The candidates were then asked how they would use their votes in a likely divided Congress to benefit the fourth district.
Fallick-Wang replied that, though she was new to the political scene, she would use her vote in Congress to do what was best for Utah’s families.
Owens discussed how it is important to stand up for Utah’s values.
“It’s a matter of being able to communicate, obviously, and reach across the aisle, and be respectful but always understanding what your bottom line is, what the values are that you stand for and fight for,” he said.
LGBTQ+ rights were a contentious topic during the debate, and the candidates had a lively back-and-forth on the topic.
Fallick-Wang said one of the main reasons she started running for Congress is to protect LGBTQ+ rights, mentioning that she and some of her family members are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Even though we have some legislators who are behaving very hatefully, most Utahns love them and support them,” she said.
Owens shared the sentiment that many people have come to accept that some of their friends and family are gay but that there is a line crossed when people come out as trans. He added that it complicates the definition of man and woman.
He mentioned some of his concerns included the “unfairness” of trans women playing female sports and children coming home from school and discussing transitioning.
“Let’s continue to embrace each other based on our sexual preference. That’s okay,” Owens said. “Let’s not force something that has no common sense on the rest of us.”
Fallick-Wang rebutted by saying that young children shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to play on a co-ed sports team when there aren’t enough girls on an all-girls team. She said that she understands the argument for high-level sports, but it is “hampering the future” of young children.
Owens continued to push that it is unfair for women to compete against men and that there should be a tone set for kids starting at a young age of what is fair and that young boys should be taught that it is not okay to beat up on girls.
In his closing statement, Owens said it is important to continue values and traditions so that younger generations can grow up as the past generations have.
Fallick-Wang continued to discuss her being a family woman, a mother and a sister above all else.
“Politics is too important to be left to politicians. I am not a politician; I am a mom, I’m a daughter and I’m a family member here in Utah,” Fallick-Wang said.
