Democrat Ashley Jolin will challenge Republican Rep. Chris Stewart in next year’s election, with Jolin announcing Friday that she has filed with the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District.
A prepared statement from Jolin’s campaign highlighted public health, employment and education as potential priorities for the congressional candidate.
“Utahns deserve common-sense leaders who rise above special interests and listen to their people over politics,” Jolin said.
Jolin’s announcement adds to the growing list of candidates seeking to unseat Stewart, a four-term congressman and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump. Republicans Mary Burkett and Ty Jensen have previously filed to run for the seat, as has Democrat Larry Livingston, and John Molnar originally announced he would run as a Republican before opting to seek the congressional seat as a Libertarian.
Jolin, 29, moved to Utah from California at age 11, according to a campaign spokesperson. She attended the University of Utah, founded the nonpartisan Emerging Leaders Initiative and previously worked as a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch.
On Friday, Jolin’s campaign tweeted that Stewart and other congressional Republicans are living in a fiction related to the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Trump and referencing Stewart’s work as a novelist and author.
