The Utah attorney general’s office has faced a couple of tumultuous decades, characterized by questionable judgment, partisan politics, and at times, scandal. We need to restore confidence in the office, and United Utah Party (UUP) candidate Michelle Quist is uniquely positioned to do that. In addition to having the expertise and character we should expect for the top law enforcement officer in the state, Quist will keep distracting partisan politics out of the job.

Rudy Bautista, running for attorney general on the Democratic ticket, considers himself an independent, previously ran for this office as a Libertarian, and isn’t running an active campaign. Republican Derek Brown is running an active campaign, but is so enmeshed in partisan politics that it’s hard to imagine him as the solution for depoliticizing the office. Brown has worked for Republican Senators Bob Bennett, Orrin Hatch, and Mike Lee. He’s been a Republican legislator and state party chair. He publicly called on the legislature to put what became Amendment D on the ballot, to preserve the legislature’s right to amend or repeal (without a compelling cause) citizen initiatives passed by voters.

Quist has endorsements from important figures in Utah’s legal community, such as former Utah Supreme Court Justices Christine Durham and Deno Himonas. She’s a candidate with the moderate United Utah Party, which focuses on political reform, transparency, and collaboration, with no litmus test on particular policy stances. Quist would not face the same incentives from the major political parties to get embroiled in — or commit our taxpayer dollars to — national partisan issues that don’t affect Utah. Additionally, she has committed to be a check on the legislature if it acts unconstitutionally as it did in putting Amendment D on the ballot.

Unaffiliated voters are the second largest voting bloc in Utah. If Republicans who are committed to reforming the AG office will join forces with Democrats and independents to vote for Quist, she can win this race.

Because of her extensive and varied legal experience, her character, and her position outside the two-party system, Quist is the best choice for our next attorney general.

Kimberly Wagner

Fruit Heights