Utah
How the doctor running for Congress in Utah plans to heal America
Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles looking at the Republican candidates for Utah’s open 3rd Congressional District seat.
The institutions of Washington, D.C., are sick, according to state Sen. Mike Kennedy. But the party-backed candidate for Utah’s 3rd District Republican primary claims the cure for Congress isn’t found in the shock therapy of partisan showdowns.
Kennedy, a practicing doctor and trained lawyer, is more likely to prescribe the attentive bedside manner and persuasive advocacy he says served him in the state legislature over the last decade. He believes building relationships, not bombastic rhetoric, is key to ending paralysis on issues like border security, national debt and inflation — and to healing the country.
But that doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to the extent of the nation’s ailments.
“We need to recognize there’s a problem,” Kennedy said. “And the problem is elected officials … that are unresponsive to the daily needs of our citizens in the form of buying and spending on things that are unnecessary, creating inflationary trends.”
Having “diagnosed” the problem, Kennedy said the best way to “treat” it is to send the right kind of problem-solver back to Washington, D.C., to replace outgoing Rep. John Curtis.
“We need a coalition of people that are willing to actually make a difference and not be grandstanding and fundraising and disagreeable about that approach they’re going to take,” Kennedy said.
As a family physician with a practice in Lindon, Kennedy says he knows what it takes to heal the individual. And as a former malpractice attorney, Kennedy said he’s seen how the law helps heal society.
The two qualifications can come together at a higher level, Kennedy says, if Republicans in the 3rd District send the only sitting lawmaker in the race to represent them in Washington, D.C., to try “to heal that place.”
Kennedy: Reform wasteful programs to begin healing America
Fittingly, Kennedy said a healthier lifestyle for the federal government begins with health care reform. While the fights on Capitol Hill often center around the budget, they rarely touch the mandatory spending programs that contribute most to the country’s deficits, Kennedy said.
“I know Medicare and Medicaid and how there are — over and over again — systems that I see as either redundant or unnecessary that are costing our taxpayers billions of dollars,” Kennedy said. “If I can build that coalition that I keep talking about with my legislative colleagues, … we can actually eliminate programs that don’t make any difference to the quality of care.”
One way Kennedy wants to improve Medicaid — government-provided health insurance for low income families — is to remove the incentive for states to grow Medicaid rolls while relying on the federal government to pick up additional costs. Instead, the state should be given funding through block grants for Medicaid that it will be more careful in distributing, Kennedy said.
“There are ways to full freight pay for the Medicaid needs, but then make the state use its innovative capacities to utilize Medicaid money in a more effective way,” Kennedy said.
Medicare, which provides health insurance to disabled individuals and those over 65, is rife with vendor programs that increase taxpayer costs without changing health care outcomes, Kennedy said. They do this by obtaining lists of Medicare recipients and offering them free, and “entirely unnecessary,” products that have been included in Medicare payment programs, according to Kennedy.
“That’s just one of many programs that are just the same way,” Kennedy said.
But Kennedy is no slash-and-burn libertarian.
He believes there is a place for smart government programs that “Give a hand up, not a hand out.” For example, he thinks a better use of Medicare funds could be to incentivize elderly people to go to the gym and exercise instead of “passively buying” products that vendors provide.
“The reality is we can move the ball forward just gently on this stuff,” Kennedy said. “I’m not expecting cancer chemotherapy and surgical treatments immediately right away for everything. Some of this is incremental, and we have to approach it that way.”
Kennedy’s legislative track record
This incremental approach, and a willingness to “work with all sorts of people with different opinions,” handed Kennedy one of his most notable legislative achievements, he said.
In 2023, after several failed attempts, Kennedy successfully sponsored a bill that banned transgender surgeries and treatments for Utah children.
“That bill is a good example of a thoughtful civil process, working with all parties on both sides of a variety of complicated issues,” Kennedy said.
Three months after the bill passed, Kennedy’s home was vandalized in retaliation.
Kennedy was first elected to the state legislature as a House representative in 2012. He left to run for U.S. Senate against Mitt Romney, where he won at the GOP nominating convention before losing in the primary.
Kennedy returned in 2020 by winning a special election for Utah Senate, where he represents roughly 20% of the 3rd District’s population in northern Utah County, Kennedy said.
Now that he’s turned his eyes toward Congress again, Kennedy promises potential constituents that he’ll pursue creative solutions to the country’s most difficult issues. But he says he can’t promise he’ll find willing partners.
Where does Mike Kennedy stand on border security, Ukraine?
Many of his would-be congressional colleagues are too preoccupied with fundraising and winning reelection to recognize common ground on issues like immigration, Kennedy said.
The sustained chaos at the southern border demands a national security response, Kennedy said, and he thinks he could unite a majority of lawmakers around heightened fentanyl detection measures and a policy that automatically bars migrants from entering the U.S. if they are found “with a trace of fentanyl on them.”
On foreign policy, Kennedy is supportive of selling military resources to Ukraine or forcing Russia to pay for it by seizing their assets. But Kennedy draws a line at sending U.S. troops to the embattled ally.
His willingness to back Ukraine in its defensive war against Russian President Vladimir Putin comes from statements by legislative leadership with top-secret briefings saying that if the U.S. doesn’t support Ukraine, then Putin’s expansionist ambitions will require a much greater American response later on.
“I’m very concerned we may be at the beginning of World War III,” Kennedy said. “Brutal dictators should be hit heavily early on to prevent them from continuing to expand and making the problem worse.”
Convention winner
Kennedy is the only candidate on the 3rd District primary ballot that did not attempt to qualify via signature gathering. Instead, he advanced to the primary after talking with all the state delegates he could and winning their support in a landslide at the state GOP nominating convention on April 27 with 61.5% in the final round of voting.
The victory makes him the party-backed candidate and has brought “wind to the sails” because of access to party resources, money and volunteers, Kennedy said. The candidate also counts on endorsements from Utah’s top legislative leadership, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.
Before the convention, Kennedy had raised more money than any of his competition, with over $341,000 in total contributions — not including a $156,000 loan he gave his campaign. But some of his opponents have invested much more of their personal wealth into the race.
Former Sky Zone CEO Case Lawrence has poured nearly $1.3 million of his money into his campaign, making him the biggest dollar candidate in the race, with Roosevelt Mayor JR Bird close behind with a $1 million loan.
Voters will decide between five candidates in the June 25 Republican primary election, that includes Kennedy, Lawerence, Bird, State Auditor John Dougall and commercial litigator Stewart Peay.
On Nov. 5, the Republican nominee will face off against Democratic candidate Glenn Wright.
The weeks following the college football regular season provide players plenty of time to weigh their NFL draft options against their desire to compete in a bowl game.
In Utah’s case, offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, as well as defensive end Logan Fano, decided it was in their best interests to forego the Utes’ Las Vegas Bowl matchup against Nebraska and declare for the 2026 NFL Draft instead.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, meanwhile, was looking forward to one last ride with his 2025 teammates before calling it a season.
“I chose to finish out this season with my team,” Dampier said during a media availability session Thursday. “I’m gonna play in the game. But some people, it’s a lot higher stakes; got a couple first rounders and things like that.”
‘We know those guys love us. They let it be known every day since they’ve been here, so we still support those guys and they support us.”
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham presumed Thursday that the Fano brothers and Lomu would be the only bowl game opt-outs on Utah’s side, along with a few walk-ons. Some Utes who announced their transfer portal intentions continued to practice with the team as well.
Dampier confirmed his availability for the Las Vegas Bowl after a historic regular season under center, becoming the first Utes signal-caller to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 600 yards in a single season since Alex Smith accomplished the feat in 2004. Dampier had 2,180 passing yards, a career-high 22 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions after throwing 12 picks last season. He also had 687 rushing yards and seven touchdowns going into Utah’s postseason game.
While his intentions for Dec. 31 were made clear, Dampier’s status for next season remained somewhat cloudy. He did hint at making an announcement alongside fellow quarterback Byrd Ficklin, though it was postponed after Ficklin’s return to the Utes was leaked Dec. 11.
“Y’all going to see,” Dampier said when asked if he was coming back for the 2026 campaign. “It’s great. I’m very happy to be here.”
“[Ficklin and I] were trying to do something special, but his [return] got a little leaked out before we could get to it. But it’s coming.”
Dampier said during a radio show appearance earlier in December that he was “big on staying” and had “no intentions to leave” the Utes. He also said over the airwaves that he anticipates being named a captain for the 2026 squad, and that he does play a role in recruiting.
Dampier discussed Kyle Whittingham’s impending departure from the program and the future outlook with Morgan Scalley set to take over during his media availability session.
On Kyle Whittingham’s decision to step down as head coach
“That’s a legend. I got a lot of respect for him. I think he’s transformed this program. He’s made it perfect for [Morgan] Scalley to step in. I’m still excited to still be at Ute.”
On Morgan Scalley taking over as head coach
“I’m very confident in Scalley. When I came here on my visit, that was someone I talked to. He let me know the rundown for when his time comes. He had his full belief in me and in my talent, so I’m perfectly fine where I’m at.”
On sending Whittingham off with a win
“It means a lot to me. I could try to speak for everybody on the team, but for me, especially, that’s a coach that believed in me to come in here after being at New Mexico, and just had a full trust in me, in the offense, to do what we do. And that’s just huge respect from him, and just what he’s done for this program. This is one only programs in college football where you know what Utes do, you know how they play and you know the mentality. So for him to leave that up, I got to finish well for him.”
On whether the program is in better hands than it would be if an outsider was hired
“Most definitely. I think just what’s already set here, what’s known here; Scalley has been under Whitt. I think Whitt’s done a great job of allowing him to demonstrate what a good head coach looks like and I know Scalley is gonna step into it and do what he does.”
MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS
DETROIT — Just as the Detroit Red Wings looked like they were getting into a groove, they hit a stumbling block Wednesday in a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth.
It’s only one game for a team that still sits atop the Atlantic Division, and none of the Red Wings players or coaches were going to panic in the aftermath. But a night after head coach Todd McLellan cautioned, “You can’t give it back,” after a strong run of recent play, a three-goal loss on home ice wasn’t the follow-up anyone was looking for.
Here’s what went wrong and some other thoughts from Wednesday night.
1. There was no doubt what McLellan thought the biggest issue was against the Mammoth.
“For me, the difference was obvious,” he said. “It was play around our net.”
And that was a theme on all four goals Detroit allowed. On the first, Simon Edvinsson drifted just off of Clayton Keller in the slot, giving him enough room to put home a big rebound off Cam Talbot. On the second, Ben Chiarot didn’t tie up Jack McBain on the back post. The third was a bit different, as no one really lost their man, but when Moritz Seider went to clear a trickling puck headed for a goal line, he ended up bouncing it off Talbot’s pad and right to Dylan Guenther for an easy goal. And on the fourth, Nate Danielson was a step or two off his check in the slot for a one-timer.
“It’s like sitting at your desk at school,” McLellan said. “You’re sitting there, but big deal. Are you doing any work? We’re in position. Do the work. Do the job. Get it done.”
McLellan also noted that Edvinsson and Danielson threw their heads back after the first and fourth goals, indicating they knew immediately what had gone wrong.
2. Though those goals against were ultimately the difference in the final score, Detroit also created far too little danger of its own against the Mammoth, especially at five-on-five.
Detroit’s top players, in particular, had uncharacteristic nights, with their first line (Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie) and the top defense pair (Seider and Edvinsson) all ending the night at minus-2, and with five-on-five expected goals shares below 25 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Finnie got the Red Wings’ lone goal on a third-period power-play blast that briefly gave Detroit life, but there just weren’t enough serious chances in the second or third periods to really threaten Utah.
Although Detroit’s power play eventually scored in the third, a pair of second-period opportunities on the man advantage went by uneventfully when the score was still 1-0. The Red Wings didn’t record a shot on goal in the first of those two chances, and the top unit managed just one shot on goal in the second as well.
“We had looks, we had zone time, we just didn’t get it done,” Larkin said. “Didn’t get pucks through. Credit to them, they had a tight diamond, and I’m sure Todd will tell you both on their penalty kill and five-on-five, they probably won the net play tonight, and that was probably the story of the game.”
Certainly, the lack of any five-on-five offense is a more damning proposition than a 1-for-4 night on the power play. But situationally, in a one-goal game, those were big missed chances to swing momentum. Utah scored just 22 seconds after killing off the second penalty to make it 2-0, and that ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal.
Still, with just one even-strength goal in the last two games, the Red Wings are going to need more there, and that includes their top players, who have really carried them offensively to this point.
3. Wednesday’s loss dropped the Red Wings to 1-5 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.
It’s a small sample, but that stands out, even with the inherent challenge of playing on consecutive nights. It didn’t seem to slow Utah too much Wednesday, for example.
Larkin acknowledged the Red Wings will have to be better in those situations, particularly with more on the horizon. Detroit will play three more sets of back-to-backs in the next two weeks, with a home-and-home against the Washington Capitals this weekend, tilts against the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs the following weekend, and then the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins at New Year’s.
I asked McLellan if there was anything he could put his finger on with the back-to-backs, and he pointed out that Detroit hadn’t scored first in any of those losses. That is true, and it’s probably a symptom and a cause.
Not scoring early has been a theme all season, though. Detroit has just 19 first-period goals in 35 games, which ranks 30th in the league, while giving up 28. The goals against number isn’t so bad — it’s still roughly league average — but it still translates to coming out of the first in a hole too often.
Cam Talbot hasn’t quite hit the same highs as earlier this season in recent games. (Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
4. Just as John Gibson seems to have found a bit of a rhythm for the Red Wings, Cam Talbot — who was Detroit’s rock in net early this season — has slipped into a bit of a funk. Not many of Wednesday’s goals were on him, but the rebound he gave up on the first goal (stemming from a low-percentage shot from along the boards) and then the trickling puck that led the third are atypical of where he was to start the season.
McLellan said he thinks the Red Wings have played better in front of Gibson of late, a reversal from early in the season, but that he’d “have a conversation (with Talbot) real quick, just let him know that we believe in him, because we do.”
5. After Tuesday night’s game, I noted Detroit had a tougher portion of the schedule coming up, with the back-to-back games against Washington and hosting a good Dallas Stars team to lead into Christmas.
Co-worker Dom Luszczyszyn pointed out to me that it’s actually more dramatic in the big picture. His model projects the Red Wings with the league’s toughest remaining schedule coming into Wednesday, and Detroit’s remaining opponents also have the second-highest collective win percentage.
That’s just one more reason that banking every point possible matters right now, especially from Eastern Conference foes they’ll be competing with for a playoff spot.
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