Democrat Dawn Stevenson, a self-described “career educator,” is challenging current Rep. Anthony Loubet, a Republican, in Utah’s House District 27 election.
Loubet was elected in 2022 and has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2023. He sponsored bills related to healthcare, law enforcement training and government transparency, according to his campaign site.
Stevenson says she’ll prioritize public education, the environment and government accountability, according to her campaign 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?
Anthony Edward Loubet: Did not answer.
Dawn Stevenson: Utah has an abundance of sunshine and wind with which to power renewable energy. We need to commit to policy and practice to support those resources.
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?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: Utah should do more to subsidize homeowner conservation efforts. We also need to do more to encourage businesses, community organizations, and churches to decrease water usage. We need water policies that support sustainable development.
What policy changes would you support to address Utah’s affordable housing crisis?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: Incentivizing developers, builders, and homeowners will help. We need policies prohibiting Wall Street and hedge funds from investing in family housing. One in five single-family homes in the U.S. is owned by speculators. Keep them out of Utah.
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?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: No.
Would you support a state constitutional amendment to ban abortion?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: No.
Should there be other restrictions on reproductive health care — especially fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: Women need access to the full range of medical care for their reproductive health and choices. Restricting that care puts the lives of women at risk.
Are you voting for or against the constitutional amendment that removes the requirement that income taxes be used for education and social services? Why?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: Against. For 30 years, Utah has underfunded education. Removing the constitutional earmark for education risks further underfunding of education. Utah needs to reprioritize tax incentive funding to support children, families and public education.
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?
Loubet: Did not answer.
Stevenson: No.
