Democratic Congressional candidate Kathie Allen is launching a health care listening tour in a bid to highlight an issue she hopes will resonate with voters of the 3rd District.
Allen says with the recent failure by Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare, it's a good time to focus on solutions to lowering premiums and increasing the quality of health care in the U.S.
“I think if you are worried about whether your health care is going to last, or whether pre-existing conditions are going to come back — I think it's an issue that keeps people awake at night,” she said.
A longtime Utah physician, Allen is running for the seat vacated by former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz. She says she’s a proponent of a Medicare-for-all type of solution — a progressive position increasingly gaining traction within the Democratic Party.
About 50 people gathered at the Salt Lake County Council chambers Wednesday night for the town hall-style discussion with Allen and other experts on health care, including a medical marijuana advocate.
Her second stop will be in Provo next week, after the GOP primary that will determine Allen’s main opponent for the general election this November.
The final days of the Republican primary have been marked by an influx of negative campaigning funded by out-of-state Super PACs. Allen says she hopes the negative tone doesn’t carry over into the general.
“I hope that I don’t have to engage with negativity,” she said. “I don’t want to. I would rather discuss policy and issues and keep things high instead of low.”
Allen says she’ll have to wait and see who comes out on top in Tuesday’s primary, but she’s not going to change her campaign strategy.
