In this year’s race to represent House District 40, John Jackson and Tyler Glaittli have their sights set against incumbent Democrat Rep. Andrew Stoddard.
Stoddard, who began his term in 2019, has sponsored bills related to public safety and criminal justice reform, according to his campaign website.
Jackson, a United Utah Party candidate, is running against Stoddard. A former journalist, Jackson advocates for clean energy and laws protecting against discrimination.
Republican Glaittli supports responsible energy usage, including the use of fossil fuels, and firearm ownership, according to his candidate site.
The Salt Lake Tribune submitted the same set of questions, based on top issues readers said they were watching in this election, to each candidate. The questions and their answers that appear below — with the candidates listed in alphabetical order — may have been edited slightly for length, style or grammar. The questions were sent to candidates before a Utah judge voided multiple amendments from ballots.
Utah’s largest electricity provider has canceled plans to replace its coal-fired power plants with nuclear power and has walked back comments about investing in clean energy. Should Utah be looking for more sustainable and less fossil fuel and carbon-dependent energy sources? If so, how?
Tyler Glaittli: Yes, it should. Nuclear energy is the sustainable, clean energy Utah needs. It was a mistake for RM Power to cancel their plans.
John Jackson: Did not answer.
Andrew Stoddard: Did not answer.
Water scarcity continues to be a challenge for the state. Recent legislation has attempted to conserve water and to get more water to the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River. Should Utah do more to subsidize homeowners’ efforts to conserve water? What other steps should be taken to deal with water scarcity?
Glaittli: No, Utah should work on increasing water supply through wise storage and help Utah farmers use water more efficiently. Conservation is great but it’s not a long-term strategy if our population continues to grow.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
What policy changes would you support to address Utah’s affordable housing crisis?
Glaittli: I will support legislation that: increases the supply of land available for development, incentivizes building homes that can be owned by the occupant, coordinates with cities to standardize zoning requirements [and] reduces regulation.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
Following the Utah Supreme Court’s recent decision to keep a near-total abortion ban blocked, anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates called for additional legislative action to circumvent the court-ordered injunction. Would you support banning abortion after six weeks?
Glaittli: Yes.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
Would you support a state constitutional amendment to ban abortion?
Glaittli: Yes.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
Should there be other restrictions on reproductive health care — especially fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization?
Glaittli: I support many options for reproductive healthcare, including in vitro, surrogacy, and adoption.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
Are you voting for or against the constitutional amendment that removes the requirement that income taxes be used for education and social services? Why?
Glaittli: I haven’t decided yet.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
A Utah judge has voided Amendment D and said votes for or against it cannot be counted, but the state is appealing. Do you support changing the Utah Constitution to guarantee that the Legislature can repeal or amend ballot initiatives?
Glaittli: Did not answer.
Jackson: Did not answer.
Stoddard: Did not answer.
