An upcoming televised debate between candidates running to replace former Congressman Jason Chaffetz will now include a third-party candidate.
The Utah Debate Commission confirmed Friday that this is the first time a third-party candidate will join the Democratic and Republican nominee on stage for their debate.
That candidate is Jim Bennett of the United Utah Party, a new centrist group that formed over the summer.
Earlier this month, Bennett didn’t poll well enough to qualify. But the commission decided to hold a do-over after some questions arose over how the first survey was conducted. The result? Bennett met the 6 percent threshold to be included.
And he’s pleased about that.
“Considering the fact I’ve only been on the ballot for six weeks after a lengthy fight to get on the ballot, this really I think represents a tremendous opportunity, and we’re very proud of our ability to have crossed this threshold.”
Bennett will debate Democrat Kathie Allen and Republican John Curtis at Brigham Young University on October 18.
