Republican candidates for Utah House of Representatives District 59, which represents Wasatch and Summit counties, participated in a debate at Wasatch High School on April 1, organized by Dr. Nesya Holmes with the Wasatch Republican Women’s Club. Although the debate was considered bipartisan, the two Democratic candidates — Deer Valley Resort employee Micah Kagan and former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson — did not attend. All three Republican candidates — Luke Searle, Jeffrey Pierce and Mark Allen — did. Mark Allen holds up a pocket Constitution at the debate last Wednesday. He describes himself as an advocate for “the Constitution, not the institution.” Credit: Christopher Reeves Allen, also a Deer Valley Resort employee, from Wallsburg, characterized himself as interested in “the Constitution, not the institution.” His top issues were accountability of elected officials and government staff, transparency of their proceedings and conservation.  He was an advocate for House Bill 397, which was sponsored during the 2026 general legislative session by current House District 59 Rep. Mike Kohler, a Republican. The bill would have required that courts livestream and make recordings available of all court proceedings, with some exceptions. The bill did not pass. Kohler announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection. He also led efforts to place Bridal Veil Falls under a conservation easement in 2020. Searle’s campaign is built on the back of his service on the Wasatch County Council. He will not run for Seat A to campaign for House District 59.  A business teacher and Turning Point USA club advisor at Wasatch High School, Searle said he is running because Utah is becoming an unaffordable place to raise a family. He wants to change that by lowering property taxes and making every decision as a state representative with families in mind. He also hopes to mitigate state control on local planning and zoning, allowing municipalities and counties the opportunity to manage their own growth rather than have it managed for them. Luke Searle is a Wasatch County Councilor and Wasatch High School business teacher running for House District 59. Credit: Christopher Reeves Park City investor Pierce promised that as state representative, he would “never let those North Fields get developed,” which has become a hot-button issue in Wasatch County since the Utah Department of Transportation announced its intention to build a highway corridor in the wetland area in January. Like Searle, Pierce is interested in lowering property and income taxes. His top issues are reducing government spending and keeping money out of politics.  Pierce called out Searle for taking donations twice. Searle said his campaign has raised around $13,000 and that he cannot afford to fund it by himself. Meanwhile, Pierce said his campaign will be self-funded through the primary election.  “We all can’t be millionaires,” Searle said. “I received almost 100 donations from people, but it’s 50 bucks, 100 bucks and a couple of $1,000 donations. … If a person’s bought off for $1,000, I mean, that’s pretty sad.” Pierce also criticized the libertarian advocacy group Americans for Prosperity’s endorsement of Searle because, in Pierce’s opinion, the organization pushes “business interests” and is “not conservative” because it did not endorse President Donald Trump during the 2024 election. Meanwhile, Searle characterized himself as the “only conservative” of the candidates running for House District 59. When the audience was allowed to ask questions of the candidates, an audience member asked Allen, Pierce and Searle how they would represent constituents in Wasatch County over themselves.  Jeffrey Pierce is running for House District 59 on a platform of keeping money out of politics. Credit: Christopher Reeves Pierce said the problem is that representatives are representing their donors rather than their constituents or their own values. “People are getting rich, and their campaigns are getting funding, and we need to change it,” he said. “Property tax, I think, could be solved if this pork were to stop, but the pork is what funds their campaigns.” Searle promised to do something similar to what the County Council has done: hold listening town halls every six months to allow constituents from across the county to voice their concerns. “I promise to have these times before and after the legislative session where you can come in here, and we can talk about the issues, and I can listen to you, and I can hear what matters to you and (explain) why I took the votes that I did,” he said. “I’m ultimately accountable to you as a state representative.” Allen promised that he was running for unselfish reasons, pointing to his participation in conservation efforts as evidence. If elected, he plans to hold office for only one term. “I’d rather be fly fishing. I’d rather be skiing. I’d rather be doing a lot of things, but I can’t unsee what I’ve seen in Utah,” he said. “I want my Utah back. I want the Utah I grew up with. And the only way for me to do that is to step in and stand out.” GOP state delegates will nominate one of the three Republican House District 59 candidates during the state convention at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Event Center in Orem on April 25.  Democratic state delegates will nominate either Celeste Johnson or Micah Kagan during their state convention at Jordan High School in Sandy on the same day. A primary election will be held on June 23. The post Republican candidates for House District 59 debate ahead of state convention appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less