Utah
Senator Orrin Hatch Republican Orrin Hatch, Utah s senior senator, was first elected to the Senate in 1976 and is now president pro tempore as his party's longest-serving member in the chamber. Like few others in Congress, he has been consistent in his inconsistency he veers between collaborating enthusiastically with Democrats and attacking them with vigor. He took the coveted helm of the Finance Committee in 2015. In 1976, he ran for the U.S. Senate. An endorsement from Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan helped him get attention and he ultimately won the GOP nomination. In the general election, he upset three-term Democrat Frank Moss 54%-45%. As the new Finance chairman, he said one of his top priorities was the repeal of a tax on medical devices in the Affordable Care Act that has proven unpopular with members of both parties. He also planned to be active on trade. He said trade negotiations must preserve strong intellectual property rights protections, including privacy and cyber theft; maintain strong investor-state dispute-settlement provisions; eliminate trade distortions and unfair competition by state-owned enterprises; and significantly reduce tariffs on exports. But Hatch's major focus was reforming the tax code, which he said in a speech was "essential if we're going to get our economy moving again." He said any reform should promote competitiveness as well as help spur savings and investment but not, of course, raise taxes. In 2006, Hatch became the longest-serving senator in Utah history. Currently: Senator, UT Elected: 1976 Education: Brigham Young U., B.S., 1959; U. of Pittsburgh, J.D., 1962 Family: Married (Elaine), 6, 23 grand Contact: (202) 224-5251 104 Hart Senate Office Washington, DC 20510 Opposes Obamacare expansion Supports absolute rights to gun ownership Opposes abortion rights Opposes higher taxes on the wealthy Opposes green energy initiatives Opposes pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens Supports privatized social security Favors military expansion Senate Committee on Finance Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Senate Committee on Aging Joint Committee on Taxation 2012 General Orrin Hatch (R) Votes: 657,608 Percent: 65.3% Scott Howell (D) Votes: 301,873 Percent: 29.9% Sources: National Journal Almanac, 2016. Ballotpedia 2016.
Senator Mike Lee Utah s junior senator is Republican Mike Lee, who toppled 18-year Senate veteran Robert Bennett in Utah s GOP convention in 2010 and went on to win the seat in the fall general election. With his deep interest in spreading his tea party-influenced views, Lee was called the next Jim DeMint. He graduated from college and law school at Brigham Young, and then served as a law clerk to District Judge Dee Benson in Utah and Third Circuit Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito in New Jersey. He then practiced law in Washington, D.C. and in Utah. In 2006, after Alito was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Lee returned to Washington to clerk for him once again. In the 2010 election, Lee won the highly contested primary, ousting the 18-year incumbent, Bennett, and handily won the general 62%-33%. At age 38, Lee was the youngest senator when he took office in January 2011.. Lee was one of the few Republicans to vote against extending the USA Patriot Act after expressing concern that it did not sufficiently protect civil liberties and privacy. With other conservative Republicans, he co-sponsored a bill declaring that the 14th Amendment s birthright citizenship is limited to of citizens, legal residents, and members of the military, and does not extend to illegal immigrants. He was the first GOP senator to join his Kentucky colleague Rand Paul during Paul s 13-hour filibuster in March 2013. He formed an ideological kinship with Paul and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; they later said they would filibuster any attempt to bring gun-control legislation to the floor. Currently: Senator, UT Elected: 2010 Education: Brigham Young U., B.A., 1994, J.D., 1997 Family: Married (Sharon), 3 Contact: (202) 224-5444 361-A Russell Senate Office Washington, DC 20510 Opposes Obamacare expansion Supports absolute right to gun ownership Opposes abortion rights Opposes higher taxes on the wealthy Opposes green energy initiatives Opposes same-sex marriage Opposes pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Joint Committee on Economics Mike Lee (R) Votes: 760,220 Percent: 68.1% Misty Snow (D) Votes: 301,858 Percent: 27.1% Sources: National Journal Almanac, 2016; Ballotpedia, 2016.
Congressman Rob Bishop Rob Bishop, a Republican first elected in 2002, is a leading advocate of states rights and a sharp critic of the federal government s management of public lands, both hot-button issues in the rural West. He is known for a sarcastic wit that he employs in blasting Democrats, and took over as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee in 2015. Bishop grew up in Davis County and graduated from the University of Utah. He became a high school history and government teacher in Box Elder County. In 1978, at age 27, he was elected to the state House. In 1993 and 1994, he was House speaker. He continued working as a teacher after leaving the legislature, and also worked as a lobbyist for state Republicans and for the National Rifle Association. In the House, Bishop has been a reliable conservative vote. On Natural Resources, Bishop showed little early inclination to compromise with Democrats. Soon after taking over as chairman, he included in a border-security bill a provision to exempt border immigration enforcement activities from some environmental laws within 100 miles of U.S. borders, a move that critics called a thinly disguised attempt to bar any regulation of those lands. He introduced a similar bill in 2011; it passed the House in 2012 on a near party-line vote and advanced no further. 01 Elected: 2002 Education: U. of UT, B.A., 1974 Family: Married (Jeralynn), 5, 7 grand Contact: (202) 225-0453 123 Cannon House Office Strongly opposes expanding Obamacare Favors absolute right to gun ownership Strongly opposes a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens Strongly favors expanding the military House Committee on Natural Resources House Committee on Armed Services Rob Bishop (R) Votes: 182,925 Percent: 65.9% Peter Clemens (D) Votes: 73,380 Percent: 26.4% Sources: National Journal Almanac, 2016; Rob Bishop, Ballotpedia, 2016.
Congressman Chris Stewart Republican Chris Stewart, a former Air Force pilot and author, is a conservative who won election in 2012 in a newly drawn district in Utah after the state gained a House seat in the 2010 reapportionment. After graduating from college, he entered the service in 1984. During 14 years in uniform, Stewart attained the rank of major and in 1995 set the world record for the fastest, nonstop flight around the world in a B-1 Lancer. Stewart later bought the Shipley Group, an energy and environment consulting firm that also does government and corporate security work. He has written two New York Times best sellers, 2009 s Seven Miracles That Saved America and 2011 s The Miracle of Freedom, and a six-part fiction series, The Great and Terrible. Utah s congressional districts were redrawn after the state gained a fourth House seat as a result of population growth. Incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson announced he would run for the newly created seat in the 4th District that was seen as friendlier to Democrats than the redrawn 2nd District. That left an open seat in the 2nd District, and Stewart entered the race and won. He says that his private sector experience has had a big impact on his political views. He favors a balanced-budget amendment, a 25% top marginal income-tax rate, and a dramatically reduced federal budget. 02 Elected: 2012 Education: UT St. U., B.A., 1984 Family: Married (Evie), 6 Contact: (202) 225-9730 323 Cannon House Office Supports a reduction in the federal budget Opposes illegal immigration Opposes the Affordable Care Act Supports tax reform Opposes abortion rights House Committee on Appropriations House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chris Stewart (R) Votes: 170,524 Percent: 61.6% Charlene Albarran (D) Votes: 93,778 Percent: 33.9% Sources: National Journal Almanac, 2016; Ballotpedia, 2016.
Congressman John Curtis John Curtis grew up outside of Salt Lake City, UT and attended Skyline High School, where he met his future wife, Sue Snarr. He attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a degree in business management. He worked for OC Tanner and the Citizen Watch Company before taking a position as the COO of a Provo-based company, Action Target, in 2000. Curtis s first try at public office was running for Utah State Senate. He lost by a large margin. Several years later Curtis turned his sights towards becoming mayor of Provo and won the election with 53% of the vote. Since taking office he s focused on economic development and the revitalization of downtown Provo. He was re-elected in 2013 and received 87% of the vote. During his last few years in office he averaged an approval rating of 93%. He announced his candidacy for Jason Chaffetz s vacated seat in May 2017 and managed to win a tough Republican primary with 40.5% of the vote. 03 Elected: 2017 Education: Brigham Young U., B.A. Family: Married (Sue), 6 Contact: (202) 225-7751 2236 Rayburn House Office In favor of a free market alternative to Obamacare Committed to protecting the 2nd amendment but supports increased background checks and a crackdown on gun modifications Committed to cutting federal spending and balancing the national budget House Committee on Foreign Affairs House Committee on Natural Resources House Committee on Small Business 2017 Special Election John Curtis (R) Votes: 62,498 Percent: 57.6% Kathryn Allen (D) Votes: 29,449 Percent: 27.1% Sources: Ballotpedia, 2017; John Curtis for Congress, 2017.
Congresswoman Mia Love The first black Republican woman elected to Congress, Mia Love had been proclaimed a rising star two years ago when she came within 768 votes (out of more than 245,000 cast) of beating Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson. His subsequent decision to retire paved the way for an easier -- but hardly automatic -- 2014 race for Love. Love was given a prominent speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention to tell her life story. Her parents immigrated to Brooklyn from Haiti with $10 and became legal citizens in 1976, shortly after she was born. After graduating, Love worked as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. The job allowed her to live almost anywhere, so she decided to move to Utah. She met and married Jason Love and converted to Mormonism. She remembers being upset when hearing news stories about groups trying to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and decided to enter politics. In 2003, she won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council, where she served for six years before voters elected her mayor. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney picked her to serve on his black leadership council to help foster dialogue between Romney and black community leaders. Love won the nomination at the state Republican convention in April with 78 percent of the vote. Upon being sworn into office, Love took part in a ceremonial swearing-in for the Congressional Black Caucus. 04 Elected: 2014 Education: U. of Hartford, B.F.A., 1997 Family: Married (Jason), 3 Contact: (202) 225-3011 217 Cannon House Office Supports limited government Opposes federally subsidized student loans Opposes the Affordable Care Act Supports a simpler tax code, lower tax rates and eliminating tax loopholes House Committee on Financial Services Mia Love (R) Votes: 147,597 Percent: 53.8% Doug Owens (D) Votes: 113,413 Percent: 41.3% Sources: National Journal Almanac, 2016. Ballotpedia 2016.