Utah
Utah congressional candidate Stewart Peay says Ukraine aid is best investment 'in the history of the Department of Defense'
Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of articles looking at the Republican candidates for Utah’s open 3rd Congressional District seat.
Military veteran Stewart Peay has a practical political philosophy he wants to bring to Utah’s crowded 3rd Congressional District race. Lawmakers, just like service members, are there to do a job so important they can’t let partisan obstructionism get in the way of moving the mission forward, he says.
As one of five Republicans to qualify for the June 25 primary election for the open House seat, Peay, who was endorsed by Sen. Mitt Romney last week, is trying to differentiate himself with his stance on Ukraine and his approach to public service.
“The Republican Party in the United States Congress has kind of come to a crossroads,” Peay said in an interview with the Deseret News editorial board on Wednesday. “There’s a chaos caucus,” he said, “who wants to spend a lot of time pounding their fists and accomplishing very little.” And then there’s a “second path … taking small wins, moving our economy forward, moving our national defense forward, moving our immigration forward.”
Peay supports aid for Ukraine
In addition to taking a firm stance on continued support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia, Peay has sought to align himself with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, current 3rd District Rep. John Curtis and Romney.
“I believe in the civility we’ve seen from Cox, the pragmatism you see from John Curtis, and the bipartisanship you see from Mitt Romney,” Peay said.
Romney — Peay’s uncle-in-law — endorsed Peay on May 8. At the time, Peay told the Deseret News the endorsement was not a family favor and indicated that he was a serious candidate and would be a responsible legislator.
Despite growing pressure from former President Donald Trump and an increasingly isolationist wing of the Republican Party, Peay believes that military support for Ukraine would be a no-brainer for “(Ronald) Reagan and conservatives for the decades that have led up to this.”
“We have a duty that goes back to the Reagan belief of supporting those who will fight for their freedom, which the Ukrainians clearly will,” Peay said. “We need to show that we are not going to allow the Western world to be pushed around.”
In the two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war to take over Ukraine, Congress has approved some $175 billion in aid to support the Ukrainian government and provide them with weapons, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Peay doesn’t think the U.S. should provide more non-military aid with questions arising about accountability and corruption in Ukraine. But he is “fully supportive of giving them the weapons and ammunition” to push Russians behind the line they held a year ago before more recent advances.
“We’re talking about what is roughly 3% of our defense budget,” Peay said. “According to British intelligence, Ukrainians have degraded Russian combat power by about 50%. That’s probably the greatest return on investment in the history of the Department of Defense.”
Peay said he “can’t imagine a scenario” where he would support sending American troops to Ukraine. But, he added, the U.S. must continue to pressure NATO partners to pay their fair share by meeting defense-spending requirements.
Ukraine position informed by time in Russia and Iraq
Peay’s views on foreign policy and on how public officials should conduct themselves were formed at a young age. His father worked as the chief of staff for the Utah Army National Guard and retired as the deputy adjutant general.
“Growing up in that environment, you’re taught to love your country, you’re taught duty, you’re taught honor, you’re taught to do what’s best for your country,” Peay said.
Peay was further convinced of American exceptionalism and the need for strong American leaders, he said, after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Russia shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. He then studied economics at Brigham Young University and received a law degree from BYU’s law school.
Less than six months after taking the bar exam, he was in Baghdad as a National Guard member, where Peay said he spent nearly a year conducting military intelligence for Operation Iraqi Freedom. His task was to help find the infamous “weapons of mass destruction” that spurred America’s 2003 invasion but were never identified.
Peay understands why “many Americans and Republicans have grown tired of war” after 20-plus years of fighting. But he said the conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq couldn’t be more different. By supporting Ukraine, the U.S. is not initiating a war but supporting an ally, he said.
Working in Iraq with representatives from various allied countries, including Britain, Italy and Ukraine, taught him that to achieve American interests abroad, the United States needs to maintain relationships with a coalition of allies, Peay said.
Peay said the “isolationist strand” within the GOP, which he thinks falls just short of a majority in Congress, is “dangerous” because it emboldens enemies and actually forestalls peace.
“There’s a lot of division at home,” Peay said. “And I think there’s a good argument that we should focus on those things. But one of the duties of being the leader of the free world is that you have to focus on home and away.”
Peay’s policy priorities
Among his other top issues, Peay said his first priority is cutting spending. He would do this by supporting a balanced budget amendment prohibiting Congress from spending more than it receives. This would require cuts across the board, including delaying entitlement programs for everyone under 50, Peay said.
Next is reforming the country’s immigration system. Peay said the country must treat the southern border like the northern border and require asylum-seekers to first make their claim to Mexico before they can apply for asylum in the U.S. He also said the country must counter cartels with more aggressive intelligence operations.
Peay said one of the most important roles of anyone who represents Utah’s 3rd District, which includes Sandy, Draper, much of Utah County and all of eastern Utah, is to push back against federal overreach on public lands. He said he would continue Curtis’ effort to repeal new Bureau of Land Management conservation rules and would pressure federal agencies to recognize state and county resource plans when implementing changes.
Peay is the lead commercial litigator at Snell & Wilmer, LLP, in Salt Lake City. He served as Utah County GOP chair from 2019-2021. His first foray into electoral politics was when he ran against Curtis in the 3rd District’s special election in 2017, in which he was eliminated at the state GOP nominating convention.
Peay will appear on the primary ballot as one of four candidates, including Roosevelt mayor JR Bird, Sky Zone CEO Case Lawrence and state auditor John Dougall, who qualified by gathering 7,000 certified signatures. They will face the GOP convention nominee, state Sen. Mike Kennedy, in the June 25 primary.
On Nov. 5, the Republican nominee will face off against Democratic candidate Glenn Wright.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Utah and Salt Lake County a total of $3.5 million in grants to assess potentially polluted properties for eventual cleanup and redevelopment.
The agency announced a $2 million grant to Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and $1.5 million to Salt Lake County to conduct environmental assessments and inventory brownfield sites for cleanup. Brownfields are sites that may be difficult to redevelop or expand because of “the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant,” according to the agency.
“These brownfields grants will help Utah communities clean up contaminated sites and unlock opportunities for redevelopment and investment,” EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western said in a news release announcing the grants earlier this week. “By transforming underused properties into community assets, EPA is helping create healthier neighborhoods and stronger local economies.”
The two grants awarded to Utah and Salt Lake County are among more than $248 million awarded to nearly 200 communities nationwide for brownfield assessment and cleanup. Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality plans to focus the resources on several areas in Ogden, Heber City and Fillmore, among others, according to Bill Rees, who leads Utah’s brownfield cleanup program.
“What we do is work to secure the funding and then begin to reach out to our communities across the state, say, ‘Listen, there’s opportunity to do some assessment work in your community if you’re interested,’ and then work with our rural partners, work with our urban partners to see if there are sites that will fit that bill,” he told KSL.
The state has received similar grants in the past, and Rees said the money can help local governments determine what to do with ailing properties such as old schools, hospitals or private property that have gone to waste.
“Is there asbestos in it, or is there hazardous material in it? Or could there be something that’s impacting the soil or the groundwater, and a policymaker needs to make a decision?” asked Rees. “Knowledge allows you to make good decisions.”
The $1.5 million awarded to Salt Lake County is the largest brownfields assessment grant the county has ever received, according to a county press release.
“This grant is a real win for our communities,” said Mayor Jenny Wilson. “This funding will let us do vital environmental work on a larger scale and in more neighborhoods. It reflects exactly the kind of partnership between local and federal government that gets results for residents.”
The county grant funds will be used to help create cleanup plans in three areas, including a vehicle storage yard in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark Neighborhood, a 4.26-acre vacant lot in Millcreek and a small commercial building in Magna that was damaged during an earthquake in March 2020, according to the EPA.
Contributing: Don Brinkherhoff
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.
The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.
“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.
A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”
The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.
Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.
The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.
Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.
“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Earlier this month, 2News Investigates brought you a former inmate’s federal lawsuit alleging Utah Department of Corrections leaders failed to address reports of alleged sexual assault by correctional officers. Now, 2News Investigates examines another key claim in that lawsuit.
MORE: Federal lawsuit alleges Utah prison leaders covered up guards’ sexual assaults on inmates
The lawsuit alleges a mass cross-gender strip-search operation – women being viewed by men was intended to further silence female inmates.
Federal law generally prohibits cross-gender strip searches of female inmates except during emergencies or when conducted by medical personnel. UDC says that during body-search procedures, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area and inmate privacy is maintained. Former inmates say that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Three former inmates agreed to speak with 2News Investigates but asked that their identities not be revealed.
“It was very traumatic.”
According to the lawsuit, on May 13, 2025, UDC carried out a large-scale operation known as a “reset” in women’s housing units at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City.
Wendy: “They call it a reset. What do you call it?”
“A violation.”
“It’s like a rape.”
The lawsuit alleges UDC Deputy Warden Derick Zorn and Warden Sharon D’Amico directed the operation, along with more than a dozen members of the Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT.
According to the plaintiffs, officers stormed dormitories, shouted profanities, and issued conflicting commands.
The women say and the lawsuit states they were ordered to pack their belongings into totes and change into state-issued uniforms in front of male CIRT officers. They were then marched to the Emerald Building for processing.
“It felt almost like we were at a concentration camp.”
The lawsuit alleges the women were required to undergo body scans and then strip completely naked. Plaintiffs claim they were ordered to lift their breasts, spread their buttocks, and cough while visible to male staff.
Women who were menstruating allegedly were instructed to remove menstrual products in full view of others.
“Just use one hand to remove it. Hold it up in front of you.”
“I felt really small and worthless.”
The lawsuit alleges some women were forced to hold soiled menstrual pads while performing physical maneuvers.
“I just did what I was told. I just wanted to get it over with.”
The plaintiffs also claim they were required to sit on toilets or squat to provide urine samples while completely naked and visible to male officers.
“It was humiliating. It was degrading.”
The lawsuit further alleges cell doors were left open, exposing naked women to other inmates and male staff.
An overhead observation booth with reflective glass overlooked the strip-search area. Plaintiffs say they observed movement inside and believed they were being watched from above.
The lawsuit alleges the female inmates were being watched from above during a mass strip search on May 13, 2025
“I could see in the overhead, the two-way mirror. There were multiple men walking around up there who had direct vision inside those cells.”
The lawsuit alleges Captain Jared Beers and Lieutenant Matthew Coombs were inside the booth and that Deputy Warden Derick Zorn observed women in various states of undress.
“I made eye contact with Officer Arroyo, and I also saw Deputy Zorn.”
“I knew if I could see the male officers, they could see me.”
One former inmate described the experience as state-sanctioned sexual violence.
“When that happens, and you’ve gone through the same kind of thing as a child, it’s very traumatic.”
The lawsuit alleges Warden D’Amico knew male officers were viewing naked female inmates and “ratified, condoned, and failed to stop it.”
An allegation in the lawsuit filed on May 15, 2026
“You’re pretty much a hostage.”
UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview. A letter sent said:
“During the body search process in female living areas, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area, and privacy is maintained. In general, resets are conducted routinely, according to UDC policy and under strict protocols designed to ensure safety while also preserving the privacy and dignity of incarcerated individuals.”
“The manner matters.”
Walter Mason represents the plaintiffs.
He told 2News Investigates, “The law protects inmates from being exposed to members of the opposite sex viewing their naked bodies unless there’s an emergency. Unless there’s what the law calls an exigent circumstance, the prison can take necessary actions to protect safety. There was no emergency. There was no exigency.”
UDC says the reset involved approximately 150 trained staff members and was conducted according to department policy.
UDC’s letter goes on to say:
“Every effort was made to treat belongings with care and document confiscated items appropriately. UDC stands by our methods and policies, which are intended to maintain the highest standards of integrity, safety, and efficiency during the reset process.”
Written response from the Utah Department of Corrections regarding 2News investigations
I asked UDC whether any exigent circumstances existed on May 13, 2025, during the reset operation.
The response:
“No exigent circumstances occurred on May 13, 2025.”
I also requested information about what items were confiscated. UDC said it could not provide a specific list.
Response to questions posed by 2News Investigates to UDC regarding mass strip search and if exigent circumstances existed that day
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and accuses the defendants, all supervisors, of participating in a “coordinated effort to humiliate, mock, and psychologically degrade the plaintiffs … operating with a brazen and intentional disregard for clearly established law, fueled by an institutional custom of impunity.”
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