- State Rep. Lisonbee opposed the Box Elder data center, while U.S. Rep. Blake Moore supported it if water resources are protected and stakeholders remain engaged.
- The pair discussed redistricting in the state and Moore's role during Monday's GOP primary. Moore defended his involvement as an effort to reduce partisan gerrymandering.
- Lisonbee called for cutting federal programs and government waste, while Moore discussed his budget reform proposals and efforts to combat fraud and overspending.
As Utah’s primary elections approach, U.S. Rep. Blake Moore and state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee faced each other for a debate in Salt Lake City on Monday evening. Both are running for the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northwestern section of the state.
Moore is the fifth-highest ranking House Republican and currently serves on several committees, including the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which is the primary force behind federal tax policy.
At several points during the debate, televised on PBS, Lisonbee took shots at Moore for his involvement in the state’s redistricting saga. Between 2017 and 2018, Moore served as a Republican chair for Better Boundaries, which later led to the creation of one left-leaning district.
Do you support the Box Elder County data center?
Lisonbee said she was “not supportive at this point” of the recently approved data center in Box Elder County. There are “too many unanswered questions,” she said, referencing conflicting environmental reports about what the data center would do to the area.
Moore offered support for the project but added, “water is paramount. We need to make sure we’re protecting that resource.” He said there may be better options of building data centers in a “more bit-sized approach,” but his main priority is to ensure that “key stakeholders are talking to each other.”
On Monday, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams asked the project developer Kevin O’Leary to scale down the land required from 40,000 acres to 10,000 acres.
When asked if he believes U.S.-based data centers are necessary for national security, Moore said, “We cannot lose this race to China, because we will deal with it (artificial intelligence) responsibly.“
Lisonbee didn’t say whether building data centers was necessary for national security.
They both addressed the public’s hesitancy to embrace the project. Polling by the Deseret News and the Hinkley Institute of Politics showed more than half of Utahns are opposed to the data center.
“Obviously there was a dearth of information going out to the public,” Moore said. “I’m all about having a positive outlook on things, so this is a good opportunity to say, hey, there are problems within this process, and the public has had a chance to weigh in and weigh in heavily.”
When asked if she would support state and federal subsidies for data centers, Lisonbee said, “I firmly believe government should not be in the position of choosing winners and losers in the market. We should get out of the way and let the market work.”
What would you do to protect the Great Salt Lake?
The federal Interior Department recently proposed that $1 billion of its $15.9 billion budget for 2027 go toward increasing the Great Salt Lake’s water levels.
When asked what she would do to make sure that money ended up being used correctly, Lisonbee said, “I have some questions around where does the billion dollars come from? Is that more deficit spending that is going to drive up prices for everyday Utahns for the things that they need?”
Lisonbee added, “It’s going to take collaboration at the local, state and federal level to really solve our water issues here in the state.”
Responding to the same question, Moore said the money could go toward reducing the amount of phragmites, an invasive grass, that grows along the lake’s bank. He also referenced legislation he’d passed about saline lakes during his first term in office in 2021.
Does Moore stand by Prop 4 redistricting?
Moore said he did not agree with Utah Supreme Court Judge Dianna Gibson’s handling of the Proposition 4 redistricting case.
“If she ultimately deemed the legislation to be a statutory (problem), she should have given that back to the state legislature over and over again,” he said.
Lisonbee responded, “I truly can’t tell whether he’s naive or gaslighting the public. Truly, to suggest that because Blake gifted a seat to the Democrats in Utah, that Gavin Newsom will now magically decide to give a seat to the Republicans in California — it’s just not good policy."
When given time to reply, Moore said, “When I was involved with this, I had no idea how anything was going to play out. But what’s important to remember is back in 2018, most of the states in the U.S. actually were moving to some type of redistricting reform.”
During a recent editorial board meeting with the Deseret News, Moore said he still views his initial efforts with Better Boundaries as the right thing. “It’s tough to do principled things in this job, but they’re still worth doing,” he said.
He described the gerrymandering battles across the U.S. as a “race to the bottom” and added, “I want to be a part of it not existing.”
National debt and government shutdowns
When asked what they would do to address the country’s $38 trillion debt, Moore referenced his Comprehensive Congressional Budget Act, which would make Congress vote on the entire budget every year, and the Fiscal Commission Act.
Lisonbee said she would cut out-of-control federal programs. Then she referenced fraud in Minnesota and California and said, “This is all under the leadership of our current congressman. ... Congress controls the purse strings, but they don’t have a very firm grasp, and they need to start pulling.”
Moore responded, “I clearly don’t have any responsibility for what took place in Minneapolis,” then referenced his work on the Health Care Task Force, aimed at rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.
Both Lisonbee and Moore promised to not take pay during government shutdowns.
Do Lisonbee and Moore support the war in Iran?
Lisonbee appeared to support the U.S.-Israeli-led strikes on Iran and the continued American presence in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I’m incredibly grateful for our armed forces, and I hate sending them to war,“ she said. ”But we must also put America first. I appreciate a president who is decisive, strategic and goes into conflict with a clear plan and strategy by destabilizing Iran’s power.“
She said she believes the operation has strengthened the U.S. energy market to China’s detriment, adding, “We also need to be more strategic and surgical in how we advance American interests abroad.”
Moore said, “I believe we’re in a strong position for President Trump to make a final deal. I don’t know if the deal is going to solve all the problems, but we can continue to monitor.”
Utah’s primary election is June 23.