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Democrat Doug Owens Will Try Again to Beat Mia Love

Salt Lake Tribune Photo Pool
File: Republican Mia Love and Democrat Doug Owens shake hands before a debate during the 2014 election

Utah Democrat Doug Owens announced online today that he will once again take on Mia Love for Utah’s 4th congressional district seat in 2016.

In 2014 Doug Owens lost to Mia Love by about 7,500 votes. The Democratic candidate believes he can overcome that margin and beat Love in 2016. But on the day he announced his intention to run on his Facebook page, Owens wasn’t available for an interview. But Utah Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon says they’re ready to get behind his candidacy. He says they expect to do better this time around because more people vote when it’s a presidential election year.

“If Doug Owens got the same percentage of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans voting for him as the last time he ran he would actually win this race by two or three points," Corroon says. "So, just the voter turnout alone will make a huge difference in this race.”

Dave Hansen was a campaign advisor for Mia Love in 2014, and will continue with that role for the next election. He says they’re not worried about the impacts of more people voting.

“There will be a larger turnout, but I think the larger turnout that are going to people voting against Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the rest of the ticket,” Hansen says.

The latest campaign finance report shows that Love already has more than $600 thousand in the bank, setting up what will likely be one of the most expensive races on the 2016 ballot in Utah.

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