3 rookies to challenge House, Senate incumbents

To complement their lone congressional incumbent, Utah Democrats have recruited a trio of rookies to challenge Republican incumbents in the U.S. House and Senate.

Two of the three, Steve Olsen and Christian Burridge, formally announced their candidacies at the state Capitol on Friday when they filed, respectively, for the 1st and 3rd U.S. House districts, currently held by GOP Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon.

The third political newcomer, Pete Ashdown — who filed at the same time against Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who is seeking his sixth term — has actually been campaigning for almost a year.

As in past election cycles, all of the Democrats running for Congress face a significant challenge — except for Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, who will be seeking his fourth term in the 2nd District — in even making their races competitive. Despite those daunting odds, all of them were upbeat about their prospects on the official first day of their campaigns.

Burridge, a South Jordan resident who owns his own small law firm, is a baby-faced 30-year-old with two young children who has never sought political office. All of which, he said, makes him very similar to a large portion of the 3rd District's population, many of whom are younger and raising a family.

"I represent change for a new generation. I'm a new Democrat, one with values like the people I would represent," Burridge said. "At the end of the day, I think a lot of people will look at me and identify with me."

Olsen is another political newcomer who also stressed his "similar values" to the voters in the heavily Republican 1st District. But instead of trying to persuade people to vote for him as an "almost Republican," he plans to proudly fly the Democratic flag.

A longtime resident of Plain City in Weber County, Olsen is a northern Utah native, having been born in Cache Valley. He is currently an engineer for Autoliv, an automobile safety system manufacturer.

"It's important for people to know that they have a choice," Olsen said. "We present an option with good Utah values, but we are the ones who look out for the common family."

With Burridge and Olsen, the Democrats now have a full slate of federal candidates, and as of now, no races that would require a party primary. However, there is still a week remaining for candidate filing.