Voters in Utah’s House District 2 will choose between Republican incumbent Mike Petersen and Democrat candidate Barbara Haggerty this November.
"I think the best thing we could do is to have the government not continue to try to solve it,” Mike Petersen said in an interview.
Petersen said he wants to reduce the role of government and return more decision-making power to individuals.
He said that he doesn’t think the government should solve the housing problem and that the housing market should be left to run its course.
Petersen said that he wants to reduce taxes, so the state government would learn to work with less money. This means that there would be less affordable-housing subsidies and incentives. He said he thinks that allowing all first-time home owners to take out a loan will inflate the market.
“I think that as citizens, we need to quit demanding, requiring or hoping for so much from our government, and turn inward," Petersen said.
Additionally, Petersen said he wants to fight against bills that reduce the number of liberties that people have.
One example that Petersen mentioned was state rules limiting how counselors could work with minors experiencing gender dysphoria or same-sex attraction.
Petersen was the chief sponsor of a 2023 law that prohibits certain healthcare workers from providing conversion therapy. Initially, his original goal was to redefine conversion therapy as something that is physically invasive so that talk therapy didn’t fall under this description.
In response, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups condemned the original bill. Together, Petersen rewrote the bill into compromise with healthcare organizations and the advocacy groups, leading to the current state protection.
He also wants the Utah State Board of Education to be less involved with local school districts.
“I think we need to empower our local school boards to do more of what the folks in that district want to be done,” Petersen said.
Democratic challenger Barbara Haggerty said she wants to focus on quality of life while development continues to grow. And with this, she said local decision-making is key. “I believe in giving more to the smaller, local government, because those are the people who have to live there, and that's what's more important,” Haggerty said.
She also said she thinks that initiatives likeProposition 4 are important to separating the powers in the state government.
Proposition 4 is a citizen ballot initiative designed to limit partisan influence on how voting district boundaries are drawn.
“I have a firm belief in the separation of powers between the branches," Haggerty said. " I want to make sure that constituents have a clear and enforceable way to hold their elected leaders accountable to the responsibilities of their office.”
Additionally, Haggerty said she wants Cache County residents to determine how land should be used. She said that she wants to make sure that when things like data centers are built, citizens have a say in where it should be built.
She also believes supporting school teachers could help increase the quality of life. That includes the ability for them to continue to form unions.
“I think teachers really need someone in their corner who is going to honor the sacrifices that they make and make sure that they're compensated fairly for it, " Haggerty said.
Utah House District 2 serves north Cache County. This includes Logan to the Idaho border, from Amalga and Petersboro reaching as far east as the Wasatch Front. Active registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2. To become a registered voter, visit the Cache County web page.
Registered voters who want a ballot mailed to an alternate address must ensure their application is sent and received no later than Oct. 23.
