OGDEN — Utah Rep. Rosemary Lesser is preparing to jump into campaigning to hold onto her District 10 seat as the two GOPers hoping to replace her eye the June 28 primary to determine which of them makes it to the general election ballot.

As Lesser is the sole Democratic representative among Weber County’s legislative contingent — with Republicans eager to reclaim the seat — it’s one of the local races to watch this season. The two Republicans seeking the seat are Lorraine Brown and Jill Koford. All three candidates are from Ogden.

Lesser puts a focus on meeting with the public get their gauge of things as campaign season lurches forward. She’s holding a campaign kickoff event on Saturday starting at 1 p.m., to be held at Mount Ogden Park in Ogden.

“I take the term representative quite literally,” said Lesser, a physician. Some candidates lean on polling, she said, “but nothing beats just talking to the people in my community. I want to hear from them and use that as a springboard for my campaign going forward.”

Accordingly, she plans to be very active in the community leading up to Nov. 8, Election Day. Lesser was appointed by her fellow Democrats to the District 10 post in January 2021 after the death a month earlier of Lou Shurtliff, who had won reelection to the seat in November 2020 elections.

More specifically, Lesser said she plans to keep up the fight to eliminate the sales tax on groceries if elected because of the relatively adverse impact it has on lower-income Utahns and seniors on fixed budgets. That was a big focus for her during the 2022 session, though lawmakers opted instead to reduce the state’s income tax.

Expanding care for women after they give birth is also a priority issue for the Democrat while, more broadly, she focuses on assuring the financial, medical and mental well-being of constituents. “I am an advocate for a healthy community in all ways,” Lesser said.

Brown and Koford, meantime, are putting their focus on the June 28 primary, which will serve to determine which of the two Republicans makes it to the November ballot against Lesser.

Koford had been focusing on the Weber County Republican Party convention, when the party faithful select their preferred candidates. Held last Saturday, Koford garnered 76.7% support to 23.3% for Brown, propelling her to the June ballot. Brown secured a ballot spot by collecting signatures on petitions.

The convention results put her “in a really good spot,” Koford said. “Now we shift gears and focus mainly on the primary.”

GOPers need someone who “can bring the fight to the Democrats,” she said. As a small business owner who’s focused on conservative principles and mindful of the U.S. Constitution, she’s the candidate.

Moreover, the District 10 post, in Koford’s view, is “a Republican seat.” District 10, revamped by lawmakers late last year as part of redistricting brought on by the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau head count, covers southern Ogden, part of South Ogden, northern Riverdale and northern Washington Terrace.

Shurtliff, an anomaly in Utah as an elected Democrat from outside Salt Lake County, had significant pull around the community in her role as District 10 representative, Koford said. “I don’t know that that’s the case today,” she said.

Brown, meantime, says she aims to reach out to Republicans, independents and Democrats. She plans to create community advisory groups on education, affordable housing and health care to get input from the grassroots level.

“Everyone needs to have a seat at the table,” she said. Brown, an attorney, thinks her message “will resonate with the majority of voters in Weber County.”

Still, Brown, like Koford, acknowledged that Republican leaders are focused on putting a GOPer in the District 10 seat. The three Utah senators and six other Utah House members serving Weber County are all Republicans.

“Absolutely, the Republican Party is highly motivated to win it back,” Brown said.

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