The U.S. Senate race in Utah has stolen a lot of the spotlight because of the possibility of a challenger defeating 3 term incumbent Senator Bob Bennett in the Republican convention. There is another big race in Utah in 2010: the race to defeat 5 term incumbent Congressman Jim Matheson in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. Here’s a quick overview of the candidates:
The Republicans
Morgan Philpot is a former state representative for house district 45 in Salt Lake County. He was elected to the position in 2000
at the age of 28. While there he received the “Friend of the Taxpayer” award by the Utah Taxpayer’s Association and the “Guardian of Small Business” award by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Morgan was also one of the founding members of the House Conservative Caucus. He left the House in 2004 to attend the Ave Maria School of Law. He then clerked for Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and he now works as a consultant in Sandy. Morgan lives in American Fork. His campaign focus seems to be on limited, constitutional government.
Neil Walter is a CFA, managing director of a real estate company, and a finance/economics instructor at Dixie State College. Neil graduated from BYU with degree in finance then went on to earn his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Neil lives in Santa Clara. The focus of his campaign seems to be the economy and financial issues.
Ed Eliason is an independent mechanical inspector who grew up in West Jordan. His focus appears to be on lower taxes and limited government. He currently resides in Sandy.
The Democrats
Jim Matheson has been Utah’s 2nd Congressional District’s representative since 2001. Click here for some information about Matheson’s record in the House.
Claudia Wright is an instructor in the University of Utah’s gender studies program. She is a liberal Democrat and is a strong supporter of a single-payer national health care plan. Claudia lives in Holladay.
The Others
Randall Hinton is the Constitution Party candidate. He was born and raised in Hurricane, Utah and has a background in IT, graphic design, and real estate. He currently lives in Veyo.
Dave Glissmeyer is an Independent candidate who lives in Salt Lake City and St George. He is running on a platform of ethics, campaign, and welfare reform.
Wayne Hill is another candidate running as an Independent and currently resides in St George.
