Candidates for Utah’s newly configured 2nd Congressional District, which covers northern Utah and includes Davis, Weber, and Cache Counties, squared off at Utah State University Tuesday night.
Republican Rep. Blake Moore and Democratic challenger Peter Crosby spent much of the debate focused on affordability, housing costs, and the economy.
At one point, Utah State University student Greyson Haycock stepped on stage and asked about policies that could improve young voters’ lives. That’s when the topic of affordability took center stage.
"My daughter's 18. She just graduated high school, started university this semester," Crosby said. "We've had the conversation that she never expects to own a home. She never expects to be able to work a job that actually pays a living wage."
Crosby argued federal policy is making it harder for young people to build a future in Utah. He called for more affordable housing programs and changes to federal tax policy.
"We put a cap in last year's legislation," Moore said. "We put a cap on a federal tuition. We said, ‘Look, here's the cap.’ We bifurcated it for more advanced degrees, lower degrees."
Moore pointed to legislation he said is already helping students and families by reducing college costs and preserving tax benefits for parents.
The two candidates also sparred over inflation, tariffs, and the Iran war, which all link to rising costs. Crosby argued Congress should take immediate action to address inflation and end policies he said are driving up expenses.
"We don't need hope. We need votes. If we've identified that the war in Iran is the cause of this inflation, if we've identified that this broad tariff regime is what's harming our economy, we need votes, and Congress is the most powerful branch of government," he said. "I don't think anybody that I have talked to, thousands of people across Northern Utah, are like, 'Well, great. We hope we can fix it.'"
Moore acknowledged challenges with tariffs.
"Tariffs are one of the toughest things that we've had to navigate this last 18 months," he said. "I have a manufacturing plant that depends on the fact that there's tariffs for their industry, so they can actually compete fairly."
Additionally, he defended efforts to help businesses navigate those impacts caused by tariffs.
Moore said the inflation issue needs to be addressed immediately, and pointed to the proposed and controversial Senate Permitting Bill. But that won’t come until after midterm elections.
The candidates also covered data centers, water, and energy during the debate.
Voters will decide on a Congressional District 2 representative this November.
Cache County residents have until 5 p.m. on Oct. 23 to register to vote.
After the deadline, voters will need to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day rather than a regular ballot. The general election is Tuesday, November 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
