In their own words: Utah’s gubernatorial debate summed up in quotes

Utah State University hosted this year’s Utah gubernatorial debate, which took place Monday in the Caine Performance Hall on campus.

Incumbent republican governor Gary Herbert and his democratic opponent Mike Weinholtz discussed a range of questions regarding political issues facing Utahns. Those questions included two submitted and asked by USU students.

The following is an issue-by-issue breakdown of the topics discussed during the debate and each candidate’s position on those issues, as articulated by the candidates themselves.

Improving educational funding

Weinholtz:

“We need to do something big and bold to make sure that our children get the education that they deserve.”

“As your governor, I will absolutely make this a priority and not just give it lip service.”

Herbert:

“Education has been my number one budget priority.”

“Because we have a healthy economy, because we’ve done what is necessary to grow the economic pie” the Utah legislature has been able to invest new money into education.

“It’s about time we start talking about all of education, not just how much money we put into it… We’re getting a really good outcome because we’ve grown the economy and are investing more into education.”

Medical marijuana legislation

Herbert:

“I think there is a need for research and to see if we can, in fact, have it as a controlled substance.”

“If the science backs it up, then I think we’ll get behind it.”

Weinholtz:

“I stand with the 71 percent of Utahns who are in favor of legalizing medical cannabis.”

“I think we should only look at medical cannabis.”

Funding and policy for suicide and mental health awareness initiatives

Weinholtz:

“One of the best things that we can do to help address [a mental health crisis in Utah] is expand Medicaid.”

“[The] expanding of Medicaid would help with mental health issues, would help with addiction issues. It would help on many different levels.”

Herbert:

“We’re making significant strides, I think, in the right direction – trying to put programs in place and help people with that kind of a sense of hopelessness. That’s something we all need to come together on.”

“It’s not a matter of wanting to help people and provide them with healthcare. I came up with a better program than Medicaid expansion called Healthy Utah. It not only helps you with healthcare, but helps you get off of government assistance by getting you a job.”

“So, again, we have the concern of those we need to help, but we need to do it in a fiscally responsible way.”

Funding for medical care and health insurance for Utahns

Herbert:

“My proposal of Healthy Utah covered everybody. And not only did it provide them with healthcare, but it also helped them to get off of government assistance.”

Healthy Utah is designed to “get [Utahns in need of medical help] some health care, but also help them and get them some skills to go out there and get a better job.”

“I think there’s opportunities to get out there and work with the legislature. We’ve got to convince them, though, that this is the fiscally proven thing to do.”

Weinholtz:

“What our legislature did and what our governor signed into law last session was picking winners and losers. There are 120,000 of our family members and neighbors who are suffering, and the legislature sits in an ivory tower and says, ‘Okay we’ll cover you 9,000, but you 111,000, you have to continue to suffer.’ That is a moral outrage.”

“Let’s get serious about what the people want, but more importantly, what these 120,000 people need.”

Specific ideas for health care funding

Herbert:

“Why in Heaven’s name would we want to have the same kind of health care program in a state that’s the youngest in America compared to, say, Florida, which has a lot of senior citizens in retirement?”

“We need to have states with flexibility. The Affordable Care Act did not give us the flexibility we needed.”

Weinholtz:

“Of course we can afford it. How can we not afford to take care of our families and neighbors?”

“It would have cost $44 million in this last [legislative] session to fully expand Medicaid. We have that money. We had $53 million to waste on a coal port in California that nobody in California and nobody in Utah wanted, but we couldn’t afford $44 million to take care of each other? That’s outrageous. So we need to get our priorities straight.”

Raising minimum wage in Utah

Weinholtz:

“Yes, I believe it is” time to raise minimum wage in Utah.”

“We’ve got enough minimum wage jobs and $10-an-hour jobs. We need careers that can support families.”

“When you don’t have a living wage, you suffer everywhere.”

Herbert:

“I believe the market will make the determinations of the winners and the losers.”

“Our incomes are moving up based on the market that’s taking place out there.”

“Utah today is the best place in this country for upward mobility and for people to live the American dream.”

Government control of public lands

Herbert:

“It’s a shared responsibility.”

“Finding that optimal place” of balance between federal and state control of public lands” is important for us all.”

“It’s going to be a combined effort of working together to find an appropriate solution.”

Weinholtz:

Utah’s lawsuit against the federal government for control of public lands is “fiscally irresponsible. It’s poor judgment.”

“As your governor, I will protect our heritage and our public lands, and I won’t allow them to be sold off.”

The 2016 presidential election

Weinholtz:

“It is clear that the democratic nominee is far more qualified than Donald Trump.”

“I understand there’s a lot of people here in our state who do not like the democratic nominee, but she is eminently more qualified than the joker that the Republicans have put up for this election.”

Herbert:

“[Hillary Clinton is] going to raise taxes and increase spending. I don’t think that’s the pathway forward for the state of Utah.”

“We need somebody that will, in fact, make sure we have a strong national fence and have peace through strength.”

“We need somebody who will appoint the right people to the Supreme Court.”

Clean air

Herbert:

“The good news is, we’ve improved the air quality.”

“We’re not where we need to be, but we’ve done a lot to get to where we’re at today.”

Weinholtz:

“This is a serious problem that we are not taking seriously enough.”

“We have to give the department of environmental quality the authority to enforce, because right now they lack that, and that is the way that we need to get serious about this issue.”   

Utah’s homeless population

Weinholtz:

“I believe the state is not doing enough.”

“So many of the homeless people have mental health issues or addiction issues, and if they were receiving the proper treatment, we could get them off the street.”

“The governor and the state has to get serious about being a partner to the cities and counties instead of leaving them on their own.”

Herbert:

“We’ve made significant progress. The homeless issue is, in fact, a very complex issue.”

“The state probably has the ability to help facilitate and certainly wants to be a partner, but Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City have got to take the lead on this.”

Gubernatorial elections will be held November 8. Students are recommended to register to vote at least 30 days before an election. Voter registration booths can be found at various locations across campus today, including the Taggart Student Center.

–– ac.roberts95@gmail.com

@alyssarbrts