Local lawyer runs for Congress
Cache County prosecutor Scott Wyatt said he will run for Congress as a candidate for retiring Congressman Jim Hansen’s First District seat against 10 other candidates.
A Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives, Wyatt said he is running for the position at age 40 because it takes a long time to develop the clout to help the district.
In an interview with Leon D’Souza in the Herald Journal, Wyatt said he looked at the top 23 Republicans in the House of Representatives and most of them filed for office at around age 40.
“We can’t afford to send anyone who cannot serve at least 20 years in office. If they are too old they never reach an effective level of seniority to be truly beneficial to the state,” Wyatt said.
David Leavitt, close friend and campaign advisor to Wyatt, said Wyatt’s age was an important aspect of his campaign.
“Scott has an unusual combination of youth, experience and judgment,” Leavitt said. “That is unusual because most people are much older when they acquire those, but in order to be effective in Congress you must have seniority and you don’t have seniority unless you get there young.”
Wyatt said being a Congressman has been a dream of his since he was 16 years old. He said he participated in debate in high school and came to Utah State University on a debate scholarship and loved it.
“I found working on interesting issues, researching them and finding solutions to problems really exciting,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt said one benefit he has is being the only Cache County resident running.
“Most of the candidates are from Davis County and with so many crowded in the largest county, they are competing against their own support base,” Wyatt said.
Leavitt said Wyatt’s position as the representative of smaller counties gives him a “surprisingly good chance” of winning the election because of the multiple-ballot format.
Leavitt said he thinks Wyatt will win counties other than Weber and Davis, and will be second choice in both of those.
As far as public exposure, Wyatt said he is confident because his name-recognition rate is 20 percent which he said is much better than most candidates.
Leavitt said Wyatt is also very adept at campaigning.
“Scott’s an intelligent, capable man who knows how a campaign is supposed to run,” Leavitt said.
Currently Wyatt said he is serving on the Board of Trustees for Snow College and has been involved on USU’s Board of Regents and Board of Trustees. Wyatt said he was also student body president when he attended USU.
These experiences are what Wyatt said he believes will set him apart from the other candidates.
“Most Republican candidates share similar values, but I can be more effective because of the depth of my experience and the fact that I’m young enough to gain seniority,” Wyatt said.
Leavitt said Wyatt has values that reflect those of most residents of Utah, but his most distinguishing feature is his ability to work with people to form consensus.
“He’ll be a powerful advocate for the state and for Cache Valley,” Leavitt said.
Wyatt said his platform is centered around the economy.
“Everything is dependent on the state of our economy: Education, defense and preservation. Economy is the most important issue for Utah,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt also said he wants to promote values like self-reliance and responsibility by changing tax reform and bankruptcy provisions.
Cache County has not had anyone go to Congress in 50 years, Wyatt said, and he feels it will be a great benefit to the area.
Wyatt said he plans on continuing to live in Cache County for at least the first year of his term which he feels will help residents because they will have close access to a Congressman.
“I’ll be someone they know. Someone they’ll bump into at the grocery store,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt said he thinks it will be good for USU because the research and grants USU receives will be affected by the publicity.
Public involvement is important in Wyatt’s campaign, he said.
“I’d like to invite anyone who has suggestions or questions to contact me. I’d be more than happy to talk,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt’s campaign office can be reached at 787-4011.
Leavitt said he is excited to see Wyatt run.
“He represents the type of person that should be in Congress. He’ll be a great asset and I hope he’ll succeed. I believe he will,” Leavitt said.
“I really want to represent northern Utah in Congress,” Wyatt said. “I’m doing this because it’s always been my goal to be involved. It’s an exciting opportunity.”