Jim Bennett represents the newly formed United Utah Party as a third party candidate in Utah's 3rd Congressional District race. Bennet said he believes the best way to impact change in Congress is to bring in a new voice and present centrist values. (Jim Bennett Facebook)
Editor's note: Candidates' progress in the polls was taken from the Salt Lake Tribune's most recent poll from Oct. 9-16.
Jim Bennett is one of six candidates running for the Utah 3rd District Congressional Seat. Bennett represents the newly formed United Utah Party and sits at nine percent in the polls heading into the election.
Background
Jim Bennett has a family history of political involvement. He is the son of the late Senator Bob Bennett and grandson of former Senator Walter Bennett.
Bennett studied theater at the University of Southern California, or USC. Bennett received an MBA from BYU after graduating from USC.
Bennett entered the world of politics in 2004 as a communications director for Fred Lampropoulos, a southern Utah businessman and Republican nominee for Utah governor in 2004. Bennett then continued to direct communications on several campaigns for prominent Republicans.
In May 2017, the United Utah Party was organized and hired Bennett as executive director. Bennett announced his candidacy for the Utah 3rd District congressional seat on May 25, running as a third-party candidate with the United Utah Party.
Key platform points
- Immigration: Bennett supports the immigration principles lined out in the Utah Compact which instructs immigration conversation on the lines of federal involvement, law enforcement, families, economy and free society. A the Oct. 18 congressional debate, Bennett said he strongly opposes building a wall in relation to President Trump's agenda on immigration.
- Gun control: While he supports the constitutional right to bear arms, Bennett supports improved regulation, especially with regards to mentally ill and convicted felons. Bennett supports stronger leadership on gun control and supports a ban on bump stocks at the congressional debate.
- Tax reform: Bennett believes the best way to address tax reform is through honest bipartisan effort. Bennett supports tax reform to lower rates and increase revenue to the government. In order to achieve this sort of reform, Bennett said he would close loopholes. Bennett's ideal tax policy is simple, fair, and permanent at the debate. He would cut corporate taxes and capital gain taxes in order to achieve his ideal tax reform.
What BYU students should know
Bennett is running as a third party candidate and said he hopes to better represent those voters with more centrist beliefs.
“If you believe both parties have gone off their respective cliffs and that its time for everyone in the center to have a voice, I am your candidate in this race,” Bennett said at the Oct. 18 debate.
In regards to education, Bennett said he wants to bring federal funding to support education in the state of Utah.
“We need a federal education role that is not one-size-fits-all, and I want to bridge the divide between conservatives and liberals in bringing federal education dollars to support our state,” Bennett said.
Bennett did not respond for comment. All information for this profile was taken from his campaign website and the Oct. 18 Congressional Debate.