Claudia Wright strives to be the change she advocates

ST. GEORGE — Summer comes early to St. George. Shortly after you step from an air-conditioned car, clothing begins to stick to skin and you crave shade, including the shady awnings of Main Street shops.

But that's not where you find Claudia Wright.

The candidate for Utah's 2nd District seat is standing in front of a group of supporters at Ancestor Square for an hourlong event beginning with a speech before moving to question-and-answer mode.

Wright wears jeans, sandals and a vest over a white shirt. She's right at home in southern Utah, where she visits at least two or three times a year.

The group is small, about 20 or so, but Wright is counting on them to each tell five friends to cast votes for her in the June 22 primary election. And if those five friends tell five friends, and if that happens throughout the 2nd Congressional District, Wright can envision a win over incumbent Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

The most common criticism Wright hears is that people don't believe she can win. She knows it's an uphill battle that continues to get steeper.

Matheson is a sixth-generation Utahn, a popular five-term congressman and the son of a popular former state governor. His family is well-known; hers is not.

He's well-funded, having spent more than 40 times the money she has on this campaign — in large part because she has declined to accept donations from political action committees.

It's that lack of funding that keeps Wright from reaching potential constituents through television and radio. A campaign commercial has been produced, and Wright is trying to raise enough money to get it on the air.

Wright said that that's understandable. She is campaigning on a platform of election and banking reforms.

"I'm trying to run the campaign we should have," she said. "Campaigns shouldn't cost millions of dollars."

Wright strives to be the kind of change she advocates, so she hit the road June 9 with her partner, Stephanie Pace, and friend Jill Jones for a weeklong visit to the district, which includes eastern and southern Utah.

Standing in front of small groups, she asked them to help send her to Washington.

It's the very picture of representative democracy: The plea to the public to give a candidate a chance.

Occasionally, someone asks Wright if being a lesbian could cost her the election.

"There are always people who are going to vote against me because of that," she said. "Utah voters are sophisticated enough to look at public policy."