(KCPW News) Another Republican state lawmaker is throwing his hat in the ring for Utah’s new 4th District Congressional seat. Representative Stephen Sandstrom of Orem announced his candidacy Monday. Sandstrom sponsored HB 497, the Utah Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, and says while he will run on a platform of creating jobs and fixing the economy, he won’t shy away from immigration reform in Washington.
“We do need courageous leadership in Washington, D.C. on that issue,” says Sandstrom. “I think it’s lacking in a big way. I would be the only person in Congress that had actually passed legislation on immigration reform. So I think that would put me in a very unique position to do something good there.”
Sandstrom says he would continue to take what he describes as a measured approach on immigration, adding that states like Arizona have gone too far.
In order to win the seat, Sandstrom would have to beat State Representative Carl Wimmer. The two men are friends, but Sandstrom says competing for the seat shouldn’t affect their friendship:
“I think that we can both articulate and explain why we want to be in Congress and why we are the one that should represent the 4th District, and then let the voters and delegates decide,” says Sandstrom.
Sandstrom is currently serving his third term in the Utah Legislature. The lawmaker lives in the 3rd District, but plans to move to the 4th to avoid challenging incumbent Congressman Jason Chaffetz. Another potential candidate for the seat is Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love, who is also Republican.
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