My family raised me with a deep value for civic engagement. It’s an integral part of our family history. My great-grandfather, Moroni Price, was a member of the Utah State Legislature in 1897, representing Cache Valley from his hometown of Smithfield.
Needless to say, we were not a family that considered politics to be a taboo dinner conversation. Instead, we spent countless hours discussing everything from the meaning of the Constitution to the importance of effective local government.
My upbringing led me to my own career in public service. I served as a Republican for ten years in the Utah State House of Representatives, where I gained a reputation for being one of Utah’s most effective lawmakers.
While in office, I served on the Education Committee and later became Chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Services. My job was to diversify and protect Utah’s economy while creating a successful pipeline for new graduates to enter the workforce.
I spent a lot of time with constituents and local leaders from Cache County, a region incredibly important to Utah’s economic stability and growth. It’s also a place that’s deeply significant to me personally. Both my mother and father-in-law graduated from Utah State University. They were the first in their families to graduate from college. Cache Valley provided them with opportunities that changed their lives and my life as a result.
My time in Cache County also shaped my views as a lawmaker. It was there that I gained a deep understanding of both the opportunities and obstacles facing our manufacturing, agriculture, and tech industries. I saw firsthand the challenges faced by Utah families and their communities. Small farmers and manufacturers struggled to find employees, all while facing a prolonged drought and increasingly restrictive federal regulations.
These challenges still exist today, and too many Utah communities are being left behind by their representatives.
It’s time to hold elected officials accountable for their time in office. It is not enough to trust that a candidate is living up to their campaign promises. To be a responsible citizen, voters need to verify that a candidate is actually doing their job.
Since taking office in 2011, Mike Lee has personally enacted only four bills, two of which involved renaming a building. After two terms in office, he is known more for his obstructionism than his contributions. More egregiously, Lee is often the sole Senator to vote against legislation designed to improve the lives of Utahns, including the America’s Water Infrastructure Act, The ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, and The Opioid Crisis Response Act.
We gave Mike Lee 12 years to prove he’s fulfilled his civic duty. But empty promises and a fiery temper do not repair roads, provide rural communities with safe drinking water, improve access to affordable healthcare, or protect citizens against wasteful government spending and harmful regulation.
As a result, Utahns are stuck paying the price of a broken and gridlocked Congress, and we cannot afford six more years of Lee’s ineffective leadership. The farmers, business owners, and families of Cache County need someone who understands the needs of their communities and will prioritize those needs over their own personal ambitions.
In 2022, we have the opportunity to elect better representation, someone with a proven track record of working hard for Utah families and businesses, keeping their promises, and prioritizing conservative values. That’s what I did as your state representative, and I’ll continue that legacy as your future Senator. It’s time to work together for better solutions and better leadership, and it’s an honor to ask for your support in the upcoming Primary Election on June 28th.
-Becky Edwards, former GOP Utah State Representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate