Running for City Council is the first time I have ever run for public office. It’s been a very unique experience. From the worry of getting enough donations, to figuring out the best timing for putting up signs. There have also been opportunities I never foresaw going into this.
One was a meeting the Water Conservancy District offered to anyone running for office anywhere in Washington County. It was very enlightening to see the plan they have laid out to support Washington Counties projected growth for the next 20 years.
Another has been the number of emails I’ve received regarding my campaign, but not from the citizens of St. George. It’s amazing how many companies there are that are willing to “help” with my campaign. It’s been very eye opening to see how much of an industry there is around political campaigns (even at the small scale of this local election).
One email I received recently was to fill out a survey, to see if I am worthy of a national endorsement. The email was from the Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah. The email is being sent out specifically to candidates in cities that don’t do ranked choice voting.
If I ever gain the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, I’m doing something (or more accurately, many things) very very wrong. I’m a free market capitalist, and don’t believe governments (locally or nationally) should be funding institutions that can be served by the private sector (there are a multitude of options in almost every community for free and low cost medical support for women).
I am also pro-life. I say that clearly, openly and proudly. I do believe abortion should be available in the case of rape and incest, and should be an option when the life of the mother is at stake (a choice left to the pregnant woman to make). Margaret Sanger created Planned Parenthood specifically to limit the ability of certain populations in America to reproduce. Not only was she a Eugenicist, she was openly a racist.
Added to why I wouldn’t want their endorsement is their concern with the lack of ranked choice voting. Proponents of ranked choice voting claim it “improves fairness in elections by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference.” It does this through the use of algorithms. What it does in practice is remove the specific and individual choice of the people. There are already enough issues with safe and secure elections across the United States, without adding more potential issues to its security.
If I secure the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, I have failed. Since I am not filling out the survey, and I know if I did, given that I’m a conservative, would inevitably fail to secure such an endorsement, I’m not worried about it. I am, however, concerned over anyone who would secure such an endorsement. Between my stance on the sanctity of life, and the eroding of election integrity, as a voter, I would stay away from anyone with such an endorsement. But that’s me.
