Utah State Senate District 13 candidate surveys, 2022
From Ballotpedia
This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Utah State Senate District 13 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Utah State Senate District 13
Nate Blouin defeated Roger Stout in the general election for Utah State Senate District 13 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nate Blouin (D)  | 71.8 | 22,311 |
| Roger Stout (R) | 28.2 | 8,781 | ||
| Total votes: 31,092 | |||
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Nate Blouin (D)
Clean air is a basic right. The pollution that frequently chokes the Wasatch Front is bad for our health and for our economy. We must prioritize policies that reduce emissions both in our neighborhoods and at the source of the electricity that we use. Climate change is a generational problem but we can take action to alter its course. Pass legislation that accelerates the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy on a local and utility level. Consider environmental justice and equity in project siting and access to clean electricity and vehicles. Protect public lands and precious water resources by prioritizing sustainable recreation and smart renewable energy development in places that make the most sense.
Utah currently has exemplary laws that allow citizens to easily register to vote and to vote by mail. This keeps costs down while maintaining secure elections and encourages high turnout. We must protect this right going forward. Defend Utah’s vote by mail system, which faces threats from conservative Republicans. Strengthen voter-led efforts such as the 2018 citizen initiatives that expanded Medicaid, enabled Utahns to access medical marijuana, and created an independent redistricting commission. Ensure opportunity is equally accessible to Utahns regardless of their race, gender identity or other characteristics that have historically marginalized specific communities.
Utah is changing rapidly and faces critical decisions as we envision the decade to come. With a young and growing population, affordability is crucial to preserving quality of life. I will focus on supporting Utahns while creating a level playing field to make Utah’s economy work for all. Affordable housing is an imminent need. I support fully funding the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund. The legislature must play a more active role in creating solutions for the homeless. We lag behind in keeping homeless folks in permanent housing and must do better to provide long-term support. Fair compensation for labor and the ability to earn a living wage are basic indicators of a healthy economy. I will work towards a $15 minimum wage.
Utah currently has exemplary laws that allow citizens to easily register to vote and to vote by mail. This keeps costs down while maintaining secure elections and encourages high turnout. We must protect this right going forward. Defend Utah’s vote by mail system, which faces threats from conservative Republicans. Strengthen voter-led efforts such as the 2018 citizen initiatives that expanded Medicaid, enabled Utahns to access medical marijuana, and created an independent redistricting commission. Ensure opportunity is equally accessible to Utahns regardless of their race, gender identity or other characteristics that have historically marginalized specific communities.
Utah is changing rapidly and faces critical decisions as we envision the decade to come. With a young and growing population, affordability is crucial to preserving quality of life. I will focus on supporting Utahns while creating a level playing field to make Utah’s economy work for all. Affordable housing is an imminent need. I support fully funding the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund. The legislature must play a more active role in creating solutions for the homeless. We lag behind in keeping homeless folks in permanent housing and must do better to provide long-term support. Fair compensation for labor and the ability to earn a living wage are basic indicators of a healthy economy. I will work towards a $15 minimum wage.
Nate Blouin (D)
It’s an exciting time to be a Utahn. We have the youngest population and are growing faster than nearly all of our peers. At the same time, we face challenges on all sides as a result of a changing climate and global pandemic, and we must act vigorously to align the policies of our state with these realities. Clean air, access to affordable housing and healthcare, and amplifying the diverse voices of our community are all things worth fighting for.
I will listen to my neighbors and draw upon my lived experience to understand the best path forward on these and other issues. As a renter, holder of student debt, outdoor enthusiast, asthma sufferer, and optimist, I believe that we can face these challenges head-on and come out stronger together. I’m excited to be in a position to lend my ears and my voice in pursuit of these shared goals.
Nate Blouin (D)
I look up to leaders who have provided stability to their communities over the past two years as COVID has changed our way of life. Leaders like Jenny Wilson in Salt Lake County, Erin Mendenhall in Salt Lake City, and Joe Biden in the White House have provided balance and common sense in the midst of unprecedented polarization, and while I don't agree with every one of the decisions that any of them has made, I struggle to believe that we would have fared better under different guidance. The pandemic has distracted them from many of their aspirations, but they've managed to protect the health of their communities to the greatest extent possible against strong currents that have tried to derail their efforts.
I hope that my time in office is marked by more positive overtones, but I will look to their example to understand how to move forward when we face incredible challenges as a state. Despite the difficulty of the pandemic, Utah has an economy that is thriving by many measures and we must strive to use the proceeds of our good fortune and of federal funding to reinvest in the community and build back stronger than we began.
Nate Blouin (D)
I am intellectually curious and enjoy learning about different issues that affect people's lives. I will keep striving to learn more about the problems faced by my constituents, and will consult diverse stakeholders to identify solutions. I think it's important to keep learning and never feel that you know all sides of an issue, even you're an expert in the field. Someone else is likely to experience it in a different light, and the decision you make won't be the right one if you've left them out. So you need to keep talking and reading to understand all sides to an issue, and that's a quality I possess that I think will strongly influence my success as a legislator.
Nate Blouin (D)
Elected officials should always be willing to listen and learn to constituents and experts to deliver results for their communities. I believe the core responsibility is to look out for people first and businesses and other interests are secondary to the basic human condition. If a decision you make means that it's harder for someone to earn a living wage, find an affordable place to live, breath clean air, or access healthcare, you made the wrong choice.
Nate Blouin (D)
I could never pick just one, but right now I'm reading The Power Broker and it's both a monument to the power of government and a strong cautionary tail about the influence a single bad actor can have when they've entrenched themselves in the halls of power and believe that their unilateral decisions are in the best interests of their community.
Nate Blouin (D)
I think it is critical to build relationships with other legislators. Relationships, for better or worse, are what drive politics, and particularly as a member of the minority party it is important to develop relationships across the aisle in order to pass legislation. Of course, relationships shouldn't preclude the need to deliver results for constituents and sometimes it will be challenging to see eye to eye, but building relationships allows us to have more direct conversations and operate in good faith rather than on a purely transactional basis.
Nate Blouin (D)
I favor an independent redistricting commission that operates blindly from political influence. I stand fully behind the work of the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission and will fight hard to make sure the commission isn't repealed in full and then work to strengthen it in anticipation of the next round of redistricting. Politically-driven redistricting allows politicians to choose their voters and reinforces bitter partisanship and candidates on the fringes, and we must combat this direction in no uncertain terms.
Nate Blouin (D)
Yes, but compromise means that all parties must take something away from the table that they can be proud of. Compromise does not mean an acquiescence to a more powerful group, it means that everyone gave something up in order to get something they desired. Too often, we see compromise touted when in reality, Republicans in Utah merely overpowered their opponent and we need to build an even stronger movement that recognizes what's happening and pushes back hard against it. There are some issues on which we should not accept compromise–for instance, human rights and attempts by the Utah legislature to ban trans children from playing high school sports.
See also
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