Letter to the editor: Daniel Holloway Campaign for Utah House District 74
My wife would tell you I have very few hobbies. My family is always first in my life; I enjoy every moment I get to spend with them. And while I do enjoy sports and games, she would tell you the thing I like to talk about most is politics. I love to listen to talk radio and read articles covering a broad swath of opinions, including, and especially, ones I don’t agree with. I devour books about the Founding Fathers’ views on the role of government. I enjoy having discussions on policy, both national and local. Every year around January, I begin looking forward to the upcoming Utah State Legislature session, and once it begins I eagerly follow the day-to-day happenings of what is being discussed and voted on. And then, once the session is over, I love reading different groups’ legislature grades. I find it so interesting to see who voted most consistently in favor of liberty and who didn’t. Three such groups I highly recommend are libertasutah.org, defendingutah.org, and utahgrassroots.org.
When I first starting following the state legislature, I was a wet-behind-the-ears Republican county and state delegate riding high off of the pomp and circumstance of the conventions, campaigns, and elections of Republicans who all spoke very well about the need for more freedom and liberty, less government, lower taxes, less regulations on businesses, and standing for conservative values. I bought into everything they were selling, and I knew my faith in the principles of the party would lead these elected officials to always do the right thing.
Eight years later, I’ve sworn off the Republican Party for its hypocrisy, treasons against liberty, and lies, and I have found a new home amongst others like me who value principles of liberty over political parties.
Why, you ask? Because every year, I’ve become more and more horrified and disenchanted seeing how our elected officials were actually voting. Where were the campaign promises of smaller government? Less taxes? More freedoms? My Republican candidates who gave stirring speeches were voting to increase taxes in some form or another every year. They were voting to expand the government’s reach into our lives every year. They were voting to take away or deny freedoms every year. Don’t believe me? Go check out those webpages I listed. Go see their reports and voting records for yourself. If you love freedom and liberty like I do, you’re not going to like what you see.
I truly love our system of government, individual states coming together to be united but maintaining their own autonomy; giving few and limited powers to the federal government over them and keeping all powers not specifically listed in the Constitution for themselves; voting for representatives in a direct and indirect way to create a balance that does not favor one group but is fair to all. The checks and balances are truly inspired. The free-market economy thrives on competition, and that competition is what makes superior services and products for consumers.
Sadly, competition is what has been lacking in our elections here in Utah. It’s that lack of competition that has been giving us politicians who have such poor voting grades. It was that principle, competition creates better products, that lead me to do something crazy, something I had never considered doing before: to run for elected office.
For years, I had followed my local State House Representative, V. Lowry Snow, and for years, I had been greatly disappointed in his voting record. Routinely, he ranks in the bottom of the voting grades, often being beaten by some Democrats! How could this be? Upon further research, he hasn’t been challenged at reelection — no competition, no incentive to be better, and no one holding him accountable for how he voted, just automatic reelection every two years. I’m determined that this has to stop.
I wasn’t my first choice either, but when first, second, and third choices all declined for various reasons, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself just how much I really believe in these principles. What was I willing to do to ensure the blessings of freedom and liberty for myself and my posterity? Did I really think I could make a difference by just sitting on my couch reading about what was going on and complaining about it to family and friends?
So here I am, running for office. I’m no one special, just a guy with a passion for liberty and proper governance and a will to fight for it. Rep. Snow has a lifetime voting grade of less than 50 percent. I know I can do better than that. I promise you I will do better than that. You deserve better representation than that. We deserve much better than what we’ve been getting.
Election Day is Nov. 6. You can learn more about me and my campaign by visiting hollowayforutah.com. For more information, call (435) 817-3787.
—Daniel Holloway
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Great article! However, the hyperlink to Daniel’s website is incorrect, can you please correct that?