Utah State University teaching assistant Cary J. Youmans has tossed his hat in the ring as a write-in candidate for the House District 5 seat in the Utah Legislature opposing incumbent state Rep. Casey Snider (R- Dist. 5)
CACHE COUNTY – A protest candidate has emerged in the race for the House District 5 seat in the Legislature currently held by Republican state Rep. Casey Snider (R-Dist. 5).
Cary J. Youmans, a music teaching staff assistant at Utah State University, filed as an Independent/Unaffiliated write-in candidate in District 5.
“I guess you’d say that I’m ideologically motivated,” Youmans said. “I believe that democracy can’t work fully and effectively if there is only one unviable candidate on the ballot.”
Youmans acknowledges that his chances are slim in the November midterm election, given that his name won’t even appear on the ballot. To vote for him, 5th District voters would have to write his name in on their ballots.
In what he admits is the profoundly unlikely event of his election, Youmans’ priorities in the state Legislature would be “ … defending against the push to privatize/monetize public education; addressing the rise in violent crimes with creative solutions other than greater militarization of the police force; and guarding women’s right to choose not to carry an unwanted or life threatening pregnancy to term in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.”
Youmans filed as a write-in candidate on June 17, after learning that the only candidate on the ballot for the House district he resides in was the incumbent Republican.
As a gay, married man since 2013, Youmans said he has endured “relentless attacks” by Republicans on his sexuality, calling him (as a gay man) a “child sexual predator” in order to elicit votes from fearful and misinformed voters.
“The Republican Party has declared itself my enemy by seeking to do me harm by defaming me and acting to relegate me to a second-class citizen status by denying me equal access to marriage,” Youmans said.
“(The Republican Party) has now made an enemy of all women,” he continued, “harming them by taking away their most sacrosanct right of determining what happens to their own bodies.”
Youmans has a varied professional and vocational background.
He has pastored three Christian congregations, one in Arkansas City, KS and two in Fort Collins, CO. He also worked as the Executive Director of the Lambda Community Center, the LGBTQIA+ advocacy and support organization serving the northern Colorado region.
Since moving to Logan in 2011, Youmans has served as President of the local PFLAG Chapter.
The PFLAG Network–with over 400 chapters across the country–provides confidential peer support, education and advocacy to LGBTQ+ people, their parents, families and allies. PFLAG has been saving lives, strengthening families and changing hearts, minds and laws since 1972.
Youmans is also the current Volunteer Choir Director and Church Council President of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA).
Youmans will face off against Snider in the Nov. 8 midterm election.