In the News

Owens is absent again; Hunsaker shows up for voters

KSL Newsradio: Dave and Dujanovic Podcast

We are one week away from the GOP Primary in Utah — Today Dave and Greg speak to Candidate for the 4th congressional district, Jake Hunsaker. 

Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2022   |   Runtime: 09:02

Take 2 Podcast: Jake Hunsaker Republican candidate for Congress, District 4

by Heidi Hatch KUTV | Saturday, June 25th 2022

Jake Hunsaker, first time candidate, running for US House seat in Utah’s 4th District sat down with Heidi Hatch ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Utah’s 4th district is the only race where the candidates did not debate prior to Utah’s primary June 28th. Congressman Burgess Owens said he did not have time for a debate while serving the people of Utah in Washington D.C.

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Meet the Candidate: Jake Hunsaker

Fox 13 News Utah | Jun 21, 2022 

Jake Hunsaker is running against incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens in the Republican primary election for Utah’s District 4 in U.S. Congress.

Incumbents no-show as challengers take the debate stage alone in Utah GOP primaries

by Bridger Beal-Cvetko, Deseret News | Posted – June 1, 2022 at 10:04 p.m

SALT LAKE CITY — For debates in Utah’s 3rd and 4th congressional district races, the question Wednesday became about “the elephant that’s not in the room.”

The single-candidate debates came after the state Republican party and the independent Utah Debate Commission were unable to reach an agreement to co-host the debates, saying party-sponsored debates would better represent their candidates in a primary election.

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Republican Candidate For Congress Accuses Owens Of Ducking Debates

By Porter Huntsman | June 1, 2022

(Draper, UT) — A Republican making a primary challenge against Burgess Owens says the one-term congressman is avoiding debates.

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Three takeaways from congressional candidate Jake Hunsaker’s lonely primary debate

By Daedan Olander | June 2, 2022, 10:52 a.m.

Republican incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens did not show up to the debate and has not committed to participating in a 4th Congressional District GOP-sponsored debate.

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LIVE: GOP Debates — Jake Hunsaker and Burgess Owens

By Vivian Chow | MAY 31, 2022 

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Debates among candidates running for Utah’s 4th Congressional District will take place on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

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Burgess Owens declines GOP debate

by Utah Policy | June 2nd, 2022

The Utah Republican Party confirmed to the Hunsaker campaign that Burgess Owens has declined to participate in a GOP-sponsored debate. Because of this, and contrary to prior statements, the state party will not proceed with planning or sponsoring a debate for the two primary candidates in Congressional District 4.

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Hunsaker alone in CD4 debate as Owens no-shows

by Kelcie Hartley | Jun 1, 2022

Fourth Congressional District candidate Jake Hunsaker was the only participant in the debate hosted by the Utah Debate Commission on Wednesday.

Incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens declined the commission’s invitation to participate in the event, according to debate moderator Jason Perry, of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

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Republican challenger calls Rep. Owens a ‘coward’ for avoiding debates

By | MAY 31, 2022 AT 5:56 PM

DRAPER, Utah – The Republican challenger in Utah’s 4th Congressional District calls incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens a “coward” for not participating in upcoming debates.

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Republican challenger blasts Burgess Owens for ducking primary election debates

By Dennis Romboy | May 31, 2022 1:46 p.m. MDT

Saying his opponent is “acting as a coward,” a Republican challenger in Utah’s 4th Congressional District blasted incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens for declining to participate in debates before the June 28 GOP primary election.

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Burgess Owens ducks out of pre-primary debates

by Bryan Schott | May 28, 2022, 5:45 a.m. | Updated: 8:24 a.m

Fourth Congressional District incumbent Republican Burgess Owens will not participate in any debates ahead of next month’s primary election.
Utah GOP chairman Carson Jorgensen confirmed Friday that Owens’ campaign had declined the group’s requests for a debate ahead of the primary.
“His campaign has declined requests for a debate,” Jorgensen said in a text message Friday afternoon.

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Republican primary challenger accuses Owens of dodging debates

DRAPER, Utah — A Republican candidate in the upcoming primary election is accusing Congressman Burgess Owens of dodging debates.
Jake Hunsaker on Tuesday held a news conference outside Owens’ Draper campaign headquarters, where he criticized the incumbent congressman for not agreeing to any debates and the Utah Republican Party of acting as a “safe haven.”

“This is just another sign that my opponent views the entire electoral process as a threat to his game of toxic celebrity politics rather than an essential piece of American democracy,” Hunsaker said. “Now I believe my opponent’s insistence of avoiding debate shows he’s absolutely terrified of one of two things: either he’s truly afraid of his constituents, the tough questions they’ll ask and the practical solutions they expect or he is afraid of himself.”

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Utah congressional hopeful blasts Burgess Owens for not debating

by Daniel Woodruff, KUTV | Wednesday, June 1st 2022

DRAPER, Utah (KUTV) — The Republican trying to unseat first-term Utah Congressman Burgess Owens blasted his opponent for not agreeing to debate him during this primary election cycle.

Jake Hunsaker, who’s running in Utah’s fourth congressional district in next month’s GOP primary, held a news conference Tuesday morning outside Owens’ campaign office in Draper. He criticized Owens, who has yet to agree to a debate before the June 28 election. Ballots will be sent out starting next week.

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Jake Hunsaker for Congress: Principled Conservatism ~ Practical Solutions ~ Optimistic Leadership

Jake Hunsaker's Utah GOP State Convention Speech

ABC4 - Insights on Infrastructure Bill, Vaccine Mandates and my Campaign.

I visited ABC4 Utah to discuss the campaign and share my thoughts on infrastructure spending and vaccine mandates.
Watch the full interview below! #insideutahpolitics #utpol

Jake Hunsaker launches congressional campaign on the steps of the Utah State Capitol

Jake Hunsaker launches congressional campaign on the steps of the Utah State Capitol, calling for a return to conservative principles and a rejection of today’s divisive, unproductive brand of politics

GOP hopefuls gathering signatures to get on June primary ballot

FOX 13 News | Jan 16, 2022

RIVERTON, Utah — Signature gathering is in full swing ahead of the Utah Republican Primary election in June.
Jake Hunsaker, who wants to challenge Representative Burgess Owens in Utah’s 4th district, gathered signatures at two events in Riverton and Lehi on Saturday. To get on the ballot, he needs 7,000 signatures.

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The Jaymac Podcast

Jake Hunsaker is running against Burgess Owens in Utah’s 4th district. Jake is trying to restore civility to politics while fighting for important conservative values.

This Utah Republican is running against Burgess Owens, points to lawmaker’s extreme views

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE by Matt Canham | Aug 10, 2021

On Tuesday, this Republican from Riverton announced his campaign to unseat Owens, who is in his first term. He is the first announced challenger in Utah’s 4th Congressional District.

“We are right now on the receiving end of a massive dumbing down of politics and of American policy. And that’s not what voters want, is not what voters need,” he said. “And it’s certainly not conducive to representation that’s fruitful and productive. And that’s why I am running against Burgess Owens.”

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Discussing the anniversary of Jan 6 Capitol riots

What kind of challenges should GOP Utah Rep. Burgess Owens expect in his own party?

 

KSL/DESERET NEWS by Dennis Romboy | Aug 11, 2021

Jake Hunsaker, 32, said the first-term Owens doesn’t represent what Utah voters care about or the rhetoric that they want their congressman to be using. Owens also doesn’t advocate for policies that would most help the state and the nation progress, he said.

“I believe there’s room right now for representation that doesn’t just recycle sound bites and rhetoric in the way I have seen the current representative do, and also contribute to the extremism in the political spectrum and the idea that the other side is so different from us and their motives are so evil that we can never work with them,” Hunsaker said.

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AM News Brief: Challenger In Utah’s 4th District, New Colorado River Observatory & Call For Cultural Resource Protection

 

Republican Challenger To Owens

Utah Republican Rep. Burgess Owens has a challenger from his own party for the 4th Congressional District. Jake Hunsaker of Riverton declared his candidacy Tuesday, positioning himself as a conservative Republican looking for less of what he calls the “toxicity of today’s political climate.” Incumbent Owens won his seat last year in a narrow victory over former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams. The 4th Congressional District has been a swing district since it was established in 2011. Utah is currently in the redistricting process again, and next year’s 4th District race could be happening with very different political boundaries. — Elaine Clark

Listen to the broadcast

Informed Utah: Jake Hunsaker announces run against Burgess Owens

Jake Hunsaker announces run against Burgess Owens. Listen to Jake describe why he is running and why he feels that he would be a better candidate than Representative Owens.

Listen to this episode on The JayMac Podcast

Sit-down with Sen. Romney; new candidate in historically contested 4th Congressional District

This week, we sit down with Sen. Mitt Romney to discuss some of the biggest challenges our country is facing right now—crumbling infrastructure and the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Plus, the first of the GOP challengers for the Congressional seat in the highly competitive 4th district, Jake Hunsaker joins us.

Watch this episode on KSL’s Sunday Edition with Doug Wright.

Inside Sources w/Boyd Matheson Jake Hunsaker Enters Utah's CD4 Race

Businessman Jake Hunsaker has announced his bid for Utah’s 4th Congressional District. This has been a hotly contested district over the years, drawing national attention and millions of dollars. Jake tells us why he’s getting into the race and challenging incumbent Burgess Owens (R-UT) in the Republican primary.

Listen to this segment  on KSL’s Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson.

Sunday Edition with Doug Wright: BIG Money in Utah's 4th District

Many Utahns will have a different looking ballot than normal this midterm election, as a legislator yet again calls vote-by-mail security into question. Plus, the latest on the redistricting efforts as one commission member resigns. And big money in the Congressional District Four race, this week on Sunday Edition.

My segment begins at about 17 minutes into the program. WATCH HERE >