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October 6, 2026 Civic Engagement

12 Questions Worth Asking Any Utah Candidate

The best way to tell a problem-solver from a performer is to ask a specific question and listen for a specific answer. Here are a dozen to bring to the next forum, town hall, or doorstep.

By the Republican Roundtable PAC

A microphone on a stand at a public forum, ready for questions

The most useful questions to ask any Utah candidate are the ones that can't be answered with a slogan. "Do you support lower taxes?" invites a yes from everyone. "Which tax would you cut first, and what spending would you hold flat to pay for it?" tells you whether the person in front of you has actually done the work.

With the general election set for November 3, 2026, Utahns are about to receive a ballot full of names—some familiar, many not. Candidate forums, town halls, debate nights, and the occasional doorstep visit are your chance to pressure-test those names before you fill in the oval. The trouble is that most campaign questions are too soft to be useful. A good question is narrow, concrete, and hard to dodge.

Below are twelve. They aren't a litmus test, and none of them has a single "correct" answer. They're designed to surface something more valuable than agreement: evidence that a candidate understands the problem, has thought about trade-offs, and can govern once the applause stops.

Why the right question matters more than the right answer

Campaigns reward confidence and punish nuance, which is exactly backward from how governing works. The candidate who promises to fix housing, protect the Great Salt Lake, cut taxes, and hold the line on spending—all at once, all without a single hard choice—is telling you they either haven't thought it through or don't plan to level with you. Real policy is a series of trade-offs, and a candidate who can name the trade-off honestly is usually the one who can navigate it in office.

That's the distinction between pragmatic and performative conservatism, and it's the whole reason to ask a sharp question. You're not trying to trap anyone. You're trying to find out whether there's a working mind behind the yard sign.

A good question is narrow, concrete, and hard to dodge. "Do you support lower taxes?" invites a yes from everyone. "Which tax, and what would you hold flat to pay for it?" tells you who did the work.

Twelve questions to ask Utah candidates

Mix and match depending on the office. A city council candidate should field the local-growth questions; a legislative candidate should handle the statewide ones. Ask a follow-up when the first answer is vague—"Can you give me a specific example?" is the most powerful four words in any forum.

  1. What is the single biggest problem facing the people you want to represent, and what is your first concrete step to address it? Listen for specificity. A candidate who names a real, local problem and a real first step is already ahead of one reciting national talking points.
  2. Housing costs are the top concern for a large share of Utah voters—one recent poll found roughly one in three ranks it the state's number-one issue. What would you actually do to add supply? With the median Utah home near $574,200, "I support affordable housing" is not an answer. Ask whether they'd approve smaller lots, faster permitting, or more density near transit—and whether they'd do it on their own street.
  3. The Great Salt Lake ended the 2025 water year at its third-lowest level on record. What are you willing to do that your opponent isn't? This is a water question disguised as a lake question. A serious candidate will talk about conservation that respects water rights and property, not vague promises to "save the lake."
  4. Name one thing government does that it should stop doing. Every candidate can list things to add. The ones worth your vote can also name something to cut, consolidate, or sunset—and explain why.
  5. If revenue falls short next year, what gets protected and what gets trimmed? Budgets are moral documents only when they're tested. This question reveals priorities far better than any stump speech.
  6. Where do you disagree with your own party? Independence of mind is not disloyalty; it's a sign the person thinks for themselves. A candidate who can't name a single disagreement is either not paying attention or not being candid.
  7. Growth is coming to Utah whether we plan for it or not. How do you balance a community's input against the state's interest in building enough homes, roads, and water infrastructure? There is no tidy answer here—which is the point. Listen for someone who takes both halves seriously instead of pretending the tension doesn't exist.
  8. What's a vote or position you've changed your mind on, and what changed it? Evidence can move a thoughtful person. This question filters for intellectual honesty and against rigid posturing.
  9. How will constituents reach you after the election, and how do you handle a request from someone who didn't vote for you? Representation doesn't end on election night. The answer tells you whether they see the job as service or as a title.
  10. What's the most important thing this office actually controls—and what does it not control? A candidate who understands the real scope of the job won't make promises the office can't keep. Beware anyone running for city council who campaigns on national issues.
  11. Who is funding your campaign, and is all of it disclosed? Utah posts candidate finance filings publicly; you can verify the answer yourself at disclosures.utah.gov. A candidate comfortable with the question is usually a candidate comfortable with the record.
  12. Three years from now, how should voters measure whether you succeeded? Ask them to define their own scorecard. The specific, measurable answers come from people who intend to be held to them.

Do a little homework before you ask

The sharpest questions land even harder when you've already done some reading. Before a forum, spend ten minutes with the basics:

None of this requires expertise. It requires an hour and a little curiosity—the same two things we ask of the candidates.

The point isn't to win the argument

It's tempting to treat a candidate forum like a debate you're trying to win. Resist that. The goal is information, not a gotcha. The best outcome isn't a candidate stumbling; it's a candidate revealing how they think—and you leaving with a clearer sense of who can actually do the job.

Utah is governed well when engaged voters demand substance and reward it. That's the civic habit the Utah model of pragmatic conservatism runs on: not louder arguments, but better questions. If you'd like to help recruit and support candidates who can answer the hard ones, join us. The next good question Utah asks might be yours.

Sources

Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash

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