Moore, Badger, Cannon enter home stretch in US House GOP primary
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- From left, the Republican hopefuls for the 1st District U.S. House seat are incumbent Blake Moore, Tina Cannon and Andrew Badger. They face off in the Tuesday, June 28, 2022, GOP primary.
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- From left, Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls Mike Lee, the incumbent, Becky Edwards and Ally Isom.
OGDEN — Northern Utah voters will pick the GOP hopeful in the 1st District U.S. House race, likely the eventual winner given Republican dominance in the district.
Along with the state’s other GOPers, they’ll also select the Republican standard-bearer in the U.S. Senate race. Primary voting culminates next Tuesday.
The GOP 1st District U.S. House hopefuls are Blake Moore, the incumbent seeking a second term, along with Tina Cannon and Andrew Badger.
On the campaign trail, Moore’s messaging has centered on his opposition to President Joe Biden, a Democrat. He’s stressed practical issues, particularly the need to fight inflation and high energy prices.
“Policy matters, and President Biden’s policies and congressional Democrats’ policies have led to catastrophic outcomes, and the things that I’m focusing on are getting us back on the right track,” Moore told the Standard-Examiner in an interview.
The Salt Lake City incumbent has also stressed the need to move beyond partisan bickering and create legislation.
Badger, seeking office for the first time, touts himself as an underdog fighting the GOP establishment, personified by Moore in his view. He also stresses his support for the policies and leadership of former President Donald Trump.
“Really, this election is between a well-funded establishment incumbent and a political outsider who’s relying on grassroots support,” said Badger, who lives in Ogden. “The question of this election is whether grassroots supporters can defeat kind of establishment big money.”
Cannon, a former member of the Morgan County Council, sounds a message that’s heavy on supporting small business operators, also with a focus on fighting inflation and high energy prices. She also ran for the 1st District post in 2020, when Moore first won election to Congress.
“It’s the economy,” Cannon, who now lives in Mountain Green, said, citing the driving force of her campaign. “We’ve met with farmers, ranchers, families, small business owners especially that have just been devastated over the last two years.”
The GOP winner will face off against Rick Jones, a West Haven Democrat, in November.
If the past is any indication, Jones would likely face an uphill battle in the fall. Moore won by a 69.6%-30.4% margin against Democrat Darren Parry in the 2020 general election. Republican Rob Bishop, who held the seat before Moore, won by a 61.6%-24.9% margin over Democrat Lee Castillo in 2018.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Mike Lee, going for his third term, faces challenges from Becky Edwards, a former Utah House member, and Ally Isom, a top staffer during the administration of Gov. Gary Herbert.
They’ve all sounded conservative tones and messages. As the challengers, Edwards and Isom have also taken plenty of shots at Lee. The GOP winner will face independent hopeful Evan McMullin.