Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Find KUER's reporting on the races, candidates and more for Utah’s 2018 midterm elections. Click here for our graphics of the U.S. Senate race, 4 Congressional races and Utah ballot initiatives.

Utah's Lone Jewish Legislator Criticizes Overt Religious Reference On Republican Opponent's Flyer

Photo of Patrice Arent.
Courtesty Patrice Arent
Rep. Patrice Arent is the only Jewish member for the Utah Legislature.

The sole Jewish member of the Utah Legislature is speaking out against a flyer sent by her Republican opponent that appears to make veiled references to her religion.

Democratic Rep. Patrice Arent called the recent campaign mailers sent by Republican Todd Zenger “disappointing.”

photo of flyer.
Credit Screenshot @StuartHamill801 Twitter
An image of the flyer circulated on Twitter over the weekend. The flyer was sent to voters by GOP candidate Todd Zenger.

On them, Zenger, a Mormon, encourages residents to vote “in memory of our God, our religion and our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children.” The quote is a reference to a Book of Mormon scripture.

Several voters in the district shared photos of the flyer on Twitter over the weekend.

 

“[He] implies that he stands for religious freedom, and I do not,” Arent wrote on Monday. “Because it is well known that I am the only Jewish legislator in utah and very active in my religion, many people in our Jewish community are hurt and upset by Mr. Zenger’s statement.”

Zenger is challenging Arent for the House District 36 seat, which she’s represented since 2011.

Zenger denied the flyer was anti-semitic and in a statement said he was inviting people of all religious backgrounds to vote.

“I support all religions, including those that espouse a belief in one God, many Gods, or no God,” he said. “I especially champion the American right to choose one’s own beliefs and religion”

The United Jewish Federation of Utah has also expressed concerns about the flyer.

 

In a Twitter post late Monday, Gov. Gary Herbert weighed in on the controversy, defending Arent.

 

"Having worked with @RepPatriceArent over the years, I can say that while we don’t agree on every topic, I have always appreciated her dedication to preserving freedom of religion and conscience," he Tweeted. 

 

The governor, a Republican and Mormon, then added that anyone "micharacterizing her position on religious freedom" should reference a scripture in either the Hebrew Book of Exodus or the Book of Mormon's Second Nephi.

 

 

This post has been updated to add a statement from Gov. Gary Herbert.

Julia joined KUER in 2016 after a year reporting at the NPR member station in Reno, Nev. During her stint, she covered battleground politics, school overcrowding, and any story that would take her to the crystal blue shores of Lake Tahoe. Her work earned her two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Julia graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in journalism. She’s worked as both a print and radio reporter in several states and several countries — from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to Dakar, Senegal. Her curiosity about the American West led her to take a spontaneous, one-way road trip to the Great Basin, where she intends to continue preaching the gospel of community journalism, public radio and podcasting. In her spare time, you’ll find her hanging with her beagle Bodhi, taking pictures of her food and watching Patrick Swayze movies.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.