SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Democrat Misty Snow announced Thursday she will take aim again at becoming the first openly transgender woman elected in Utah.
Snow said she will challenge U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart in the state’s 2nd Congressional District in 2018.
Snow earned Utah’s Democratic nomination last year for U.S. Senate but lost to incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Lee by a 68-15 percent margin.
Snow, a 31-year-old grocery store clerk, said she decided to challenge Stewart because she thinks GOP representatives will be vulnerable in 2018 due to President Donald Trump’s actions.
“What’s happening in our county is kind of depressing. We have an unpopular president who has an unpopular agenda,” Snow said. “It’s very likely that his party will lose seats.”
Stewart declined comment on Snow’s candidacy through a campaign spokeswoman. He won a third term in November by easily defeating Democratic businesswoman Charlene Albarran.
Like many GOP members of Congress, Stewart came under fire at a recent town hall. He was booed by a crowd of more than 1,000 people in Salt Lake City as he defended GOP positions on health care, public lands and immigration.
But he will still be favored in a mostly Republican state where the last Democrat in Congress for Utah, Jim Matheson, was a moderate who served from 2001-2015.
Stewart’s district covers most of Salt Lake City, along with deserts stretching west to Nevada and south to Arizona.
Snow said she’s ready to run a better campaign and raise more funds after learning a host of lessons during her first run for office. She said she’s well-liked by Democrats and well-known around the state - giving her a chance to be competitive against Stewart.
“People call him ’Congressman who,’ or ’Congressman what’s his name,’” Snow said. “His name recognition is not that good.”
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