Competition

I find it interesting that so many older delegates can't seem to figure out why there are candidates running against the incumbents. I have heard this at nearly all of the candidate meetings I've been to. They are often quoted as saying, "Why would anyone want to run against a perfectly good Republican incumbent?"

I like playing and watching sports. When I was in high school I ran cross country. The girls team won Nationals every year I ran. Yes, that means the high school running judges voted that our team was first in the nation. One year this was only determined after judges ran our state course and deemed it harder than another state's course. We had an awesome team. I was not one of the best runners. I occasionally ran in a varsity meet, but mostly I ran JV. There were times that our JV team would run in a meet as a Varsity team and we would win. Our team was only this good because there was so much competition amongst our own team, we had depth. We pushed each other to be better. We spent a lot of time together. We were friends. When it came time to race, we prayed as a team and then we each went out and tried our best. It wasn't just an individual sport. We didn't want to let each other down.

I think it's only right that we have competition amongst our own party. Not all of us think exactly the same. There are other opinions out there. We all want to be represented in a way that doesn't make us cringe!

By having competition we force the incumbent to get out and talk to the people. They have to reconnect, listen, and really find out what's going on. It gives us, the people, a chance to evaluate how they have been representing us. We really should take the opportunity to look into it and see that they have been doing what they promised they would. It allows the incumbent to realize there are perhaps areas that they need to improve and possibly change. I believe if the candidate is re-elected, than this process will make them a better representative for the people.

For the challenger this is a great process also. They are able to come in with a fresh pair of eyes, a new perspective. They often have new ideas and issues that they feel are important to address. They remind us that we do have a say in how we should be represented and that sometimes change is good. Besides they allow us to take part in the voting process which is one of the reasons why we love America so much!!!

I wish all delegates and voters for that matter would really look at the candidates. Look at what they stand for. Make a decision based on promises and performance. Don't just assume because they were elected before that they are the best person for the job.

Our Republican party is strong here in Utah County and we want it to stay that way! These challenges within our own party will only make our representatives better.