I continue to be bewildered by politics in Utah. During the Republican Party primary campaign, The Tribune, in an effort to help inform citizens about the candidates, submitted to each of them the same five questions. To my utter astonishment, an impressive number of candidates chose not to participate. I do not understand how you can run for office without stating your position on such issues as climate change, fossil fuels, the Lake Powell pipeline and others.
These are all questions likely to be considered by members of the Legislature or Congress to which they are campaigning to be elected.
Over and over, in a number of different races, some candidates “Did not respond.” That answer leads me to conclude (a) the candidate did not have enough information to answer the question, (b) a forthright answer might cause the candidate to lose votes or (c) the candidate was reluctant to state a position that might not be in agreement with the official stance of the state or national GOP. It seems to me that the candidates who chose not to respond lost a golden opportunity to state their platform to a wide and well-informed voting population. That was their choice. My choice is to withhold my vote from any candidate who is unable or unwilling to answer questions that clarify his/her positions on matters of importance to the citizens of Utah.
Elizabeth Tubbs, Holladay