Matheson says education is top priority
Democratic candidate for Utah governor Scott Matheson Jr. visited Utah State University Tuesday afternoon. Matheson is currently a dean and professor of law at the University of Utah, and is the only Democrat running for the office this year.
Matheson highlighted a few of the key points of his campaign for students, such as education.
“Our children deserve schools that prepare them to go as far as they can,” he said. “We cannot compromise when it comes to excellence as the touchstone for education.”
Matheson says that education is, or should be, a top priority for all candidates. His personal goals will be to reaffirm and strengthen education at all levels, from elementary school to higher education.
“We can’t just settle for something second to what we can achieve,” he said.
The event, sponsored by the USU College Democrats, ASUSU Public Affairs Board and the political science honor society, began with Matheson shaking every student’s hand and introducing himself with a smile and a “nice to meet you.”
Matheson opened his remarks by voicing his opinion about the men’s basketball team’s recent upset in California last weekend.
“I just want to go on record and say that Utah State University should have been in the NCAA tournament,” Matheson said.
Matheson said he believes that visiting with college students is vital to any candidate’s campaign and “it’s one of my favorite things to do to speak to college students.”
Being politically educated is a two-way street, however. Matheson said being involved in a campaign, regardless of the candidate, is a great idea.
“If you’ve never been involved in a campaign in that way, I’d strongly encourage it,” he said. “You have as much stake in the future of this state … as anyone else.”
Matheson shared his ideas about the economy.
“We’re one of the high-growth states because of our birth rate and also because of the attractiveness of our state,” Matheson said.
Although this growth is good, Matheson said, it brings new issues with it. These include transportation, water (which Matheson refers to as “our limiting resource”), and the need for improvements in our energy plan.
One student asked Matheson to outline three major changes that would be made if he were elected rather than another Republican.
The first change Matheson outlined dealt with the Republican majority in the state government that has been present for years.
“We can, in a very short period of time, restore the two-party system for Utah,” he said.
The second change would mean a facelift for the state government.
“We’ve had pretty much the same administration in office for the past 12, if not 20, years,” he said. “The face of government is going to change.”
An obvious third difference, Matheson said, would be the general approach to different issues because a Democrat is going to tackle certain topics differently than a Republican would.
Matheson expressed his excitement for the campaign to the crowd and said he thinks it will be the first competitive race in 16 years. He attributed this competition to the fact that he is the first Democrat who really has a chance for governor in almost 20 years.
Matheson ran for office because he thinks “it’s time we brought balance back into Utah politics.”
Utah has not seen a Democratic governor since the 1976 campaign year. As a bystander wished him good luck, Matheson smiled and stated, “Thanks, we’re going to need it.”
Matheson is enthusiastic, however, and believes this disadvantage will prove to be an advantage in the long run. It gives him the opportunity to open up and appeal to different parties rather than just focusing on his own, which will “make me a stronger governor.” Unlike the Republican candidate, Matheson said, he must work to understand the needs of the conservative and the middle-of-the-road voters.
Mondi Basmenji, a student at the University of Utah, believes so strongly in Matheson that she is one of two volunteer coordinators for his campaign.
“He is the man that Utah needs,” she said while passing out endorsement fliers.
Not all students in attendance feel such love for Matheson, however. Gabriel White, USU College Republicans chairman, said that the event bored him.
“[The Democrats] try and paint themselves as the compassionate Republican instead of saying who they really are,” he said.
White said that looking at what Matheson has done as a dean at the University of Utah (including his involvement in the on-campus no-gun policy) is a clear indication of his true colors: “He’s a flaming liberal, but he’s not going to tell you that.”
Although he said he did agree with some of the things Matheson was saying, White doesn’t believe Matheson’s campaign will go anywhere.
“Utah is a state where the Democratic platform does not fly with the people,” he said. “It has nothing to offer us.”
Matheson closed by encouraging students to become active in politics.
“Whatever candidate you choose to support this year … I just encourage you to get involved.”
-sophisan@cc.usu.edu