His decision to skip the debate reflects a trend emerging in politics nationwide; while running attack ads and speaking to friendly media outlets, candidates and their consultants are deciding to minimize debate appearances or shirk them altogether.
Republican Rep. Burgess Owens announced Wednesday he would not participate in that night’s debate for Utah's 4th Congressional District. His Democratic and United Utah Party challengers went on without him.
“At some point, it goes beyond the rhetoric,” said Paighten Harkins, a reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune. “I think that's what people are nervous about.”
Utah has a memorandum of understanding with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for welfare in the state.That agreement is legal and has saved Utah $75 million in federal obligation over the last decade. Here’s what happens when the state “effectively outsources its safety net to a religious institution.”
About a quarter of Utah’s population is made up of racial and ethnic minorities. But a new investigation by the Salt Lake Tribune and Frontline PBS found that a third of the people Utah police shoot at are minorities.