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In the second-to-last debate by the Utah Debate Commission before election day, candidates for Utah's 3rd Congressional District discussed Thursday evening how they would tackle issues of tenant rights and affordable housing.
Republican perspective
The Republican candidate is Dr. Mike Kennedy, a family physician and attorney who currently serves District 21 in the Utah Senate and previously served District 27 in the Utah House from 2013-2017.
He said Utah could solve these issues by reducing tariffs and taxes on building materials and by building housing on public land.
“Almost 70% of our land is constrained and controlled by the federal government,” Kennedy said. “We can’t build on 70% of our land.”
According to the most recent federal land ownership data by the Congressional Research Service, 63% of Utah is federal land, though that only includes land from the five largest land-managing agencies.
Kennedy said he supports the HOUSES Act of 2023, co-sponsored by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, which would allow Utah and local governments to purchase federal lands for uses like residential development, community amenities, and open space.
Democratic perspective
Glenn Wright, the Democratic candidate, is a pilot and Vietnam War veteran who served on the Summit City Council from 2017 to 2022.
He said current state laws like the three-day eviction rule are heavily skewed in favor of landlords at the cost of tenants’ rights.
“They need to lighten up on the landlord protections,” Wright said. “Most of the leaders in the Legislature are real estate and developers, so they’re taking care of their buddies.”
The Utah Investigative Journalism Project reported in 2022 that they identified 20 Utah lawmakers involved in real estate, which equates to about one in five legislators.
Wright also referenced work he did with affordable housing on the Summit County Council, including helping tenants in Park City avoid unfair evictions.
Congress’ role in housing affordability
When asked about the role Congress has in making homes more affordable for Utahns, the candidates had very different ideas.
Wright, who was a board member with Habitat for Humanity of Summit and Wasatch Counties for six years, said all levels of government need to be involved in solutions.
“If we have cities and counties [who] are willing to zone for it,” Wright said, “then what the federal government can do is target grant money for those cities and counties to help them build affordable housing.”
Kennedy, on the other hand, felt that the government should be hands-off, claiming that regulations in states like California only raise costs for average citizens.
“Burdensome regulations are ruining our housing market,” Kennedy said. “In the state of Utah, we do it well. It’s a hands-off regulatory environment on multiple levels, and when government gets involved things get worse.”
Both candidates will be on the ballot for U.S. House Utah District 3 on November 5. For more election and voter information, visit UPR's 2024 election guide page.
