Utah Debate Commission

Elevating the discussion of the most important issues
confronting Utah through a series of candidate debates.

Welcome to the Utah Debate Commission

The Utah Debate Commission is a consortium of higher educational institutions, media organizations, and business and civic leaders dedicated to creating a non-partisan and independent system of debates among qualified candidates for statewide and federal offices in Utah during each election cycle. The purposes of the Utah Debate Commission are to educate voters about viable candidates and their issue positions, promote a civil exchange of ideas among the leading candidates, and elevate the discussion of the most important issues confronting the State of Utah.

Utah Debate Commission 2024

2024 Utah Federal and Statewide Elections

General election races – 9 races

  • Governor
  • Attorney General
  • State Auditor
  • State Treasurer
  • US Senate
  • CD 1
  • CD 2
  • CD 3
  • CD 4
Republican primary races – 7 races
  • Governor  5 R candidates
  • Attorney General  4 R candidates
  • State Auditor  2 R candidates
  • US Senate  11 R candidates
  • CD 1  3 R candidates
  • CD 2  3 R candidates
  • CD 3  10 R candidates
 
 

Democratic primary races – 3 races

  • Attorney General  2 D candidates
  • US Senate   3 D candidates
  • CD 4   2 D candidates

UTAH DEBATE ESSAY CONTEST

In anticipation of the vice presidential debate, the Utah Debate Commission worked with the Utah State Board of Education and Lucid Software to create a curriculum for all K-12 students and held a statewide essay contest. Students from all levels – from kindergarten to college – were invited to submit 300-word essays answering the question: “If you could ask the vice presidential candidates one question, what would you ask and why?”
We are pleased to announce the winning essays from all four age categories:

Debate Feeds

4th Congressional District (R) Primary

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 1 p.m.
Moderator: Jason Perry
Candidates: Jake Hunsaker & Burgess Owens

3rd Congressional District (R) Primary

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 6 p.m.
Moderator: Natalie Gochnour
Candidates: John Curtis & Chris Herrod

2nd Congressional District (R) Primary

Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 10 a.m.
Moderator: Grant Burningham
Candidates: Erin Rider & Chris Stewart

1st Congressional District (R) Primary

Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Moderator: Thomas Wright
Candidates: Tina Cannon, Andrew Badger, Blake Moore

Utah Debate Commission Team

Edgar "Ed" Allen

Former Utah State Senator,
Co-chair

Becky Edwards

Former Utah State Representative, Co-chair

UTDC news