2 independents announce candidacies for Utah's 2nd Congressional District

Two Utahns have announced they are running as independents in the 2nd Congressional District against Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, next year.

David Glissmeyer, 57, is a retired telecommunication business owner, and Ryan Kelly, 30, is a laboratory technician.

No Republican has been announced to run against the four-term incumbent.

Glissmeyer spends his time between his Salt Lake home and a second home in St. George, both of which are in the sprawling 2nd District.

Kelly owns a home in Taylorsville.

Both men say politics in the United States is in poor shape, with neither major parties and their officeholders providing needed leadership or independence.

Said Glissmeyer, "Everywhere we turn, our political system is plagued by fiscal madness, partisan bickering and inadequate leadership."

America has expensive health care, is fighting two wars, Wall Street is corrupt and bailed out with our tax dollars, he said.

"And to top things off, we continue racking up massive federal deficits while in the worst recession in 70 years. And no one seems to have a clear map to lead us back to prosperity," said Glissmeyer.

Said Kelly: "We the people have a duty to our country to defend our liberty and our right to choose what is best for ourselves.

"This is why I seek to be elected to our federal government. I feel that few in our government now are willing to defend our rights as they should. They have stopped listening to us, and rather than use our power to vote to remove these people from office, almost half of us stay at home (not voting) and let them do things for us.

He said America needs people who remember that when government fails in its duty to represent the will of the people, "we must use the power of the vote to replace those elected with people who will do as we ask them."

Glissmeyer's Web site is congressmandave.org.

Kelly's is ryankellyforcongress.com.

— Bob Bernick Jr.