Castle Country Radio sat down with U.S. Senate candidate Caroline Gleich to discuss her campaign, platform and what she wants to accomplish if elected.
Our first question for Gleich was what inspired her to run for office,” I was inspired by the call for the next generation of leaders to step up because it’s our generation that is going to have to deal with the things that Congress is failing to address today. I think one thing, there are a lot of things that unite us as Utahns and Americans, but one of the things I’ve heard a lot on the campaign trail is that people are frustrated with the current state of Congress and the lack of action on things that affect every aspect of our lives, like air quality, climate, immigration, affordability. And so, if we want to change politics, we have got to change the people we send to be our politicians.” She continued,” It’s time for the next generation and it’s time for change.”
We then asked Gleich why she felt that she was the best choice to represent Utah in the Senate, she stated,” Yeah, so I’m 38 years old, so I’m the average age of America. And Utah is one of the youngest states in the nation. We are one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. Meanwhile, the average age of the United States Senate is 65. So, with all due respect to the older generation, we do need to make sure that we have voices from all ages and all backgrounds when we talk about crafting and creating effective policy.”
Gleich continued, speaking on her background experience,” I am more in touch with the issues that young people are facing today. Also, I have worked on policy at the local, state, and federal levels. I got my start working for Gov. Gary Herbert’s environmental adviser. I’ve testified to the House and the Senate, and I’ve led different groups of environmental advocates and athlete advocates to D.C. to meet with our elected officials to advocate for policies to protect our air, water, and land.” Explained Gleich,” And I worked with the Obama administration and the Biden-Harris administration on the Clean Energy Plan for Obama. And then with Biden-Harris, I helped to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest clean energy bill in United States history. So, I have a proven track record, and I’m a woman of action.”
Gleich also took the time to speak on her campaign funding, which according to campaign finance reports has raised $352,000 from July through September. All but $11,500 of this total came through individual donors, with over half the money being raised through donations of less than $200. “I’m also not bought and paid for by PACs, special interests, billionaires, or corporations. And one of the things that concern me is seeing, with these lifelong politicians, that they’re more likely to be corrupted by these outside influences,” stated Gleich,” And my campaign is funded by mostly small-dollar donors, people across the country that have chipped in because they want to see new leaders.”
Our next question for Gleich was how she feels her background experience will aid her if elected into the Senate. “I do think that we need more people from different backgrounds in the United States Senate to help craft better policy. And one example of how this can help is when we think about regulating Big Tech. Because right now, our country and our world is on the precipice of another huge technological shift with AI and the future of AI.” Gleich explained,” But we still haven’t properly regulated social media and other companies. I think it is long past time for Congress to pass a comprehensive package to protect Americans’ privacy from exploitation by Big Tech, and also to push for algorithmic transparency so that you can understand how these algorithms are what they’re serving you, how they’re keeping you addicted and on your phone for longer, and also have the opportunity to opt out of those algorithms and go back to a chronological feed.”
She added,” We need a millennial in there. When your computer is broken, you call a millennial to fix it. When you have a technology issue, you call a millennial or Gen Z to fix it. And so it’s up to us now to help craft policy to put our country on the right track for digital accountability and the future of this evolving landscape with AI and Big Tech.”
Next, we delved into policy, asking Gleich first why the position of strengthening families was important to her,” there are so many people that are, you know, on the brink of losing their homes that are one health care crisis away from losing the roof over their head. And far too many of my peers are using GoFundMe as their health care plan.” She continued,” And so I think that we could do a lot better to give people a safety net and to bring down the price to make it a little easier to get into a house. And then beyond that, I see so many parents struggling with the stress and not being able to afford child care. So I would help to subsidize and fund universal pre-K.”
The next policy we asked Gleich about was freedom, namely foreign policy she would want to implement if elected,” We are seeing right now with these wars that are going on around the world, this rise of dictator regimes, and also the backsliding of democracy, not just here in the United States, but around the world. So we need to find a path to peace first and foremost.” Gleich explained,” We do need to de-escalate, stop the killing, get humanitarian relief. And we cannot have any progress for gender equity or climate or clean air if we have further escalations of war. So first and foremost, we need a leader who will defend democracy but also work to de-escalate and to find a path to peace. So that is something where I also think it’s important to have a new perspective and to have people that are working toward a peaceful resolution.”
The last major bullet point of Gleich’s platform is the future, which includes topics like the climate crisis, clean energy, outdoor access and public lands. “The average Utahn dies two years earlier because of our poor air quality. And our current electricity and energy portfolio is not the best mix for our health and our wallets. And we can save money, create jobs, clean up our air, and save lives by accelerating our transition to clean, renewable energy.” Gliech continued,” We can do that. We can make sure that the clean energy economy is built and led by American manufacturing and supports good-paying union jobs. But we need a leader and someone that has the political will to do that.”
Our final question for Gleich was why the residents of Utah should vote for her as their next senator,” in the last six years that my opponent has been in Congress, the average cost of a home has gone up nearly $200,000. Our air quality is worsening. We’ve seen these unprecedented attacks on our public lands. And I think we are seeing that our state and country are headed in the wrong direction. So if we want to correct course, we have to change the people that we send to be our politicians. We cannot keep recycling the same old politicians and expect them to get us out of this mess.”
Gleich added,” It’s time for the next generation of leaders to step up. And to my opponent and to other Utahns who are feeling we’re headed in the wrong direction, we need to ask, what do you call a politician who’s been in office too long? You call him home. And it’s time for Rep. John Curtis to come home and to send Caroline Gleich to the United States Senate.”
To learn more about Gleich’s campaign, you can visit carolineforutah.com.
To view our interview with Gleich’s opponent John Curtis, click here.