ST. GEORGE — Looking to defeat the long-held Republican seat in the House, Nicholas Mitchell will represent the Democratic party as its candidate for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is on the ballot for November’s general election.

Mitchell is a small-business owner and self-proclaimed inventor and scientist based in Salt Lake City. Originally from California, Mitchell attended Timpview High School in Provo and served a mission in the Philippines for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mitchell enrolled at the University of Utah and walked onto the university’s football team.

St. George News asked Mitchell several questions pertaining to his congressional run. His answers are transcribed below.

Why do you think you’re the right candidate for the job?

I’m the right candidate because I have actual ideas and solutions to fix the problems we are currently facing. Science doesn’t fix everything, but to me, science is a thought process, so I use that in every task of my life. Some may say I’m a little too methodical sometimes, but I think it’s a good way to face any problem you’re facing.

What issues are most pressing to you?

Getting healthcare to be actually affordable, workers’ rights and the ever-popular environment.

With people struggling financially as a result of inflation, what do you think about federal aid packages?

I am not independently wealthy at all. I actually rent where I live. I am feeling this inflation just as bad as everyone else. A lot of politicians use that as a talking point, that it’s one party’s fault that inflation is so bad. To that, I say, what is stopping you from bringing a common-sense bill forward to find a solution? Complaining about a problem isn’t a solution. 

When it comes to federal aid, or money being given to the public to help with those who are below the poverty line — which I am not ashamed to admit, I am below the poverty line right now — I’m not sure how well it works out. When we compare (federal aid) to the PPP loans, that didn’t do much, and there was a lot of fraud involved with large businesses. If we were to do something with a federal aid package, there would have to be a vetting process to make sure fraud wouldn’t be so prevalent inside a stimulus package. 

With water shortages and drought becoming major concerns in Utah, especially in the southern areas of the region, what is the federal government’s role in securing water rights for the state?

I pride myself in doing my own research and coming up with solutions. This is an issue that the federal government only has control over the Colorado River Compact. Everything else is done on a state and local level. 

In terms of a federal level and the Colorado River Compact, I hate the mentality that all the legislatures have that they need to secure rights for our state, because our state is most important. We need to come at this with a completely different attitude, that we’re in this together and we need to work together. It’s really frustrating to watch. Once the Colorado River runs dry, the Southwest will be unlivable. We need to conserve water on a scale we have not been seeing. There’s a lot we can do to conserve water, which we need to do.

Amid the many social issues being discussed in the country, such as gun legislation and gender identity, which do you think are most important to address for the everyday Utahn?

Extreme partisanship — it’s driving the country apart. It’s part of the reason why I decided to run. No one wants to work together in Washington to come together to fix the issues that are hurting the people. (Legislatures) are willing to go through such extremes to prove a point. It’s insane to me.

Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2022 election by clicking here.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Truman Burgess grew up in Washington state, Virginia and Arizona. He graduated from BYU-Idaho with a bachelor's degree in English. Before starting at St. George News in 2022, Truman was an editorial reporter and lead copy editor for "Scroll," a news service in Idaho. He won Idaho Press Club's 2021 award for best student column of the year. When he's not reporting or writing, Truman spends his time Latin dancing with his fiance and climbing trees with his kids.

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