Debates are built on many questions, but in a rather tame 3rd Congressional District debate one candidate asked his own question. Is anybody out there?
As Republican state Sen. Mike Kennedy and Democrat Glenn Wright met on stage at Brigham Young University, Kennedy seemed to feel a lack of energy in the race. After all, he had to battle past five opponents in the GOP primary. That was a hot race because Rep. John Curtis chose to run for the U.S. Senate to replace Mitt Romney. Past the primary and perhaps telegraphing his confidence in November, Kennedy has preemptively resigned from the Legislature.
Between playing up his day job as a family doctor (he mentioned it at least 14 times in the hour), Kennedy alluded to what he thought was a non-existent audience more than once as he and Wright offered different quips on modern problems like artificial intelligence and housing. They also worked overtime to try to differentiate themselves.
Hard to stand out
Kennedy was elected to the Legislature in 2012 and sponsored contentious legislation that banned some gender-affirming care for minors. He leaned heavily on his experience as a doctor, lawyer and lawmaker as the reason why voters should pick him.
“If you send me to Washington, D.C., I will work diligently, as I've worked my whole life, to serve you well, to make sure that our children and grandchildren have the United States of America, that we all hope that they can have — a place that has freedom and an opportunity for all.”
Wright emphasized his time in local politics as a Summit County councilman and his military service in Vietnam as examples of his ability to work with others to solve problems and get people “on a path to freedom and prosperity.”
“We will build a country with an economy that is built for the many, not just the few, protect your freedoms and protect and improve our environment,” he said.
The Utah Debate Commission has emphasized civility in its debates this year. Wright, however, saw an opening and criticized Kennedy’s ability to work “together with civility and thoughtfulness” during his time as a lawmaker because of the Republican supermajority on Utah’s Capitol Hill.
“His explanation that he learned that from working in [the] state legislature is kind of an oxymoron,” Wright said. “People like Sen. Kennedy are told how to vote.”
Kennedy said that was “frankly insulting” and while he appreciated Wright’s military service, he said the veteran was “talking about things that he doesn't know” because he’s never served in the Legislature.
“He can suggest that if he wants, but that lack of civility is exactly what we don't need in Washington D.C.,” Kennedy said. “The accusation and the suggestion that somebody with nefarious input is going to just take the recommendations or suggestions of leadership, is entirely wrong.”
Housing and rents
There’s no doubt in either candidate’s mind that affordable housing is an issue choking their potential constituents.
Kennedy’s message was to keep the government out of it. To him, “burdensome regulations” are one of the biggest hurdles to affordable housing. One of the other hurdles is that the federal government manages most of Utah’s land.
“We can't build on 70% of our land,” he said.
Kennedy said he would work alongside Republican Sen. Mike Lee to pass the HOUSES Act, which seeks to allow Utah to build homes on public lands. Although, many of those lands are in desolate areas without the proper infrastructure. To Kennedy, the HOUSES Act is a chance for local governments “to actually buy contiguous land and build houses, as well as rental units.”
Kennedy added he would also work to reduce tariffs on construction materials so “people can actually build and reduce costs” for tenants and owners.
“We could actually resolve some of these issues, but once again, we confront the feckless nature of our Congress and the fact they can't seem to do anything right,” he said.
In contrast, Wright doesn’t believe Congress can do much in terms of rental prices or tenant rights because those issues are in the hands of the state Legislature, and those laws, he said, “are extremely skewed towards the landlord.”
He disagreed, however, with Kennedy on the government’s role to provide affordable housing. To him, “It's an all-of-government problem” and the feds could help fund affordable housing projects.
“If we have cities and counties [that] are willing to zone for [housing], I think what the federal government can do is target grant money for those cities and counties to help them build affordable housing,” he said.
More supply, he said, will help drive down the overall costs for potential homeowners.
Artificial intelligence
Both candidates are aware of the rise of artificial intelligence and believe it can be used to advance America’s capital and transform education overall.
“There's an arms race with artificial intelligence all over the world,” Kennedy said and America needs “to win that arms race” when it comes to AI. Even so, he doesn’t think the government needs to play a big role in its development.
“Washington D.C. and Congress is a meat cleaver. We need a surgical scalpel,” he said. “I do worry that the federal government gets too involved in these things when they don't even know what they're doing.”
Regulation could be necessary at times and when it is, he said that is when the federal government will step in. Kennedy wondered “if artificial intelligence could potentially be a better professor” than some of the professors he had while attending Brigham Young University. He thinks AI has a useful place in higher education if Congress is “willing to leverage it, but also regulate [it] in a safe fashion.”
Wright believes AI will greatly impact white collar jobs while leaving blue collar work, such as construction, alone. He said Congress is going to have to “train” the education system to use it properly. Wright said America also needs to be a leader in AI and believes it will make the country more efficient.
“The more efficient we are, the more productive we are, the richer we are, both individually and as a country.”
He has concerns, though, particularly as it pertains to the battlefield. He worries it could escalate foreign conflicts through potential drone wars or other means.
“We need to have very serious controls over the final decision. That's one area where we really have to zero in on what the future controls are.”
