Republican Governor candidate Greg Hughes visited Grifols for a town hall meeting in Cedar City on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Hughes is one of six candidates that have declared their candidacy for Utah governorship.
The evening was focused on issues such as healthcare, infrastructure in Utah, his support for the reduction of the Bears Ear and Grand Staircase-Escalante lands and his support for President Trump.
The town hall meeting began by focusing on healthcare.
“I’m watching all this political capital being spent on 150,000 people, who we want to find a solution for,” said Hughes. “But there is a serious disconnect when you see the kind of political weight… for 150,000 people when three million – the working poor… are having a hard time with their healthcare.”
Hughes also voiced his support for President Trump, specifically citing his time working alongside Trump to reduce the size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ear Monuments significantly.
A large portion of his time at was spent discussing how Utah must focus on creating infrastructure throughout the state, specifically in southern Utah to stop young people in the more rural parts of the state from fleeing to the Wasatch front after college.
“We gotta get this infrastructure in here. Because it is what an economy can be built upon. We… want our young and emerging workforce… to be able to stay and have a career in our emerging communities.”
Growth will continue in Utah according to Hughes, with much of that growth occurring internally in our state. In order to support that growth Hughes insisted that rural Utah should be the focus for building infrastructure.
“You invest in the economies in the rural parts of our state. You make sure that the economic opportunity and growth is happening state-wide, and then you don’t have young people searching for a job in a 130-mile valley that is pretty full. You invest in that infrastructure – water, roads, rail, fiber optics, tech – in the rural areas so that you see economic [growth].”
When asked by an attendee whether or not Hughes supports the current impeachment trial of Trump, Hughes stated that he saw the impeachment as a partisan issue, rather than a two-party concern.
“What I have seen from this president, I support, and I am appreciative for what he has done. I am not ashamed to say that I support him. I don’t really see anything going on really.”
Greg Hughes will continue to have town hall meetings during the upcoming weeks throughout Utah. To learn more about him and his campaign visit here.
Story by Alex Greenwell
news@suunews.net
Photos courtesy of Alex Greenwell
