Author: Rosa Bennett

With this in mind, Peterson and Brown laid out an eleven-point plan to promote rural development:

• Enhancing enforcement of existing laws prohibiting abusive loan terms, unconscionable lending, and deceptive advertising, as well as capping the rates of interests on payday loans.
• Making affordable health care more accessible throughout Utah, including mental health treatment by offering telehealth programs, rural clinics, and hospitals financial support.
• Increasing access to broadband internet throughout rural Utah to enhance business connections, educational opportunities, and healthcare options.
• Setting up a student loan program for young people who would like to be ranchers and farmers.
• Setting up public-private meatpacking co-operatives to substitute off-shore multinational agribusinesses to safeguard the economic independence of rural citizens.
• Offering one-time business credits to businesses in rural areas that create bona fide apprenticeship programs for young workers.
• Expanding and developing outdoor industries in Utah, including the state/federal land management efforts, outdoor-oriented retailers, and the tourism industry.
• Initiating legislation to develop public financial support and renewable-energy worker training grants for green energy development.
• Initiating right-to-repair legislation to combat anti-competitive actions by farm equipment producers that require their products to only be repaired by high-cost dealers.
• Expanding Utah’s energy royalties shares and driving payment in place of taxes from federal government-controlled real estate up to market values.
• Promoting Utah’s research university to advance innovation in the banking, aerospace research, biotechnology, and information technology industry.

Although Chris Peterson did not win Utah’s 2020 gubernatorial race, he made headlines by winning more votes than any Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Utah’s history. He managed to secure 416,862 votes which represent more than thirty percent of the total votes. Before Peterson, none of the Democratic candidates running in the state’s gubernatorial race had managed to secure over thirty percent of the popular vote.

It was a tough race, but Peterson upheld his integrity and ran an honorable campaign. He stood up for his beliefs and was a voice for folks who are not well represented in the government. When Peterson entered the Utah gubernatorial race he was aware of the state’s historically strong Republican political inclination. Nonetheless, he cared about Utahns and desired to make a difference in the Utah community and this is what kept him going.

He also believes that the state is leaning more towards the Democratic party. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement estimates that during the 2020 presidential election about half of the registered young adults in Utah aged between eighteen and twenty-nine years old voted for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, while forty-six percent voted for Republican candidate Donald Trump. This suggests that the number of young people who have values that resonate with the republican party is increasing. Several young people today believe that the government should be held accountable and work in their interest. They are also more tolerant and believe in accepting others. If this trend continues, the Democratic Party will grow its influence in Utah and become more competitive.

Chris Peterson continues to be actively engaged in consumer protection and public service. He is happily married and has three beautiful children with whom he resides in Salt Lake City. The Petersons enjoy camping, skiing, and hiking in Utah’s spectacular outdoors.…

Chris Peterson had three key messages for his campaign. One was a commitment to quality education for children. All children deserve a quality education. At this time, the Utah constitution had already put in place a fund to ensure that all students can access quality education. However, more often than not the government has not used or developed this fund to offer the resources needed by kids. Part of Peterson’s goal was to direct more resources to the K-12 schools in Utah and to make higher education more accessible and better. He also hoped to develop Utah’s public education system to be the best in America.

Peterson also promised to stand up for Utah workers. He strongly believes that workers deserve humane working conditions, good wages, and fair wages. Several Utah residents work hard but are unable to keep up with the rising cost of expenses including housing and healthcare. His message also focused on clean air and responsible environmental stewardship. The Wasatch Front has one of the worst air quality in America. Families, children, and businesses require clean air to survive. If elected Governor of Utah, Peterson promised to transition to clean energy and decrease air pollution. Our forests, wilderness areas, and state and national parks are a heritage that we ought to preserve, both for our generation and future generations. At the same time, Peterson promised to work together to ensure that family ranches and farms are successful in changing the economy.

The area of public policy that Peterson is most passionate about is protecting consumer rights. Petterson strongly believes that Utah residents should be treated with fairness and honesty in organizing their finances. In addition, the government should ensure that working families are not preyed upon by predatory businesses. With this in mind, Petterson aimed to give honest businesses a chance to thrive by creating a marketplace without unfair competition.

In one campaign, Peterson and his running mate, Brown, promised to safeguard the rights of hard-working people and their families in Utah. Their development plan was based on data collected from voters while traveling across rural communities in Utah. Offering more opportunities for rural development is something that Peterson and Brown are deeply passionate about. It was such a privilege to develop the plan considering the diversity of Utah’s 29 counties.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the strength of the Utah community, but it also brought to light some of Utah’s weaknesses. Utah’s food security, economic security, and energy security are directly linked to rural economic growth. Consequently, Utah’s future strongly depends on the development of its rural communities.…

Who is Chris Peterson?

Chris Peterson was a candidate for Governor of Utah on the November 3, 2020 elections. He is a law professor and 5th generation Utahn. Peterson was born and raised in West Valley City by a disabled, single parent. He graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree and later earned his JD in 2001 from the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Upon his graduation from S.J. Quinney College of Law, Chris Peterson worked at the U.S. Court of Appeals as a clerk for the 10th Circuit. He later relocated to Washington DC to pursue a career as a consumer rights attorney for a Capital Hill non-profit firm. Soon after, Peterson launched his career at the University of Florida as a law professor. During this time, Peterson published several scholarly articles and an award-winning book. He then returned to the University of Utah to teach law specializing in commercial law, consumer protection, and contracts law courses.

Peterson is a renowned expert on consumer finance and has often testified in congressional hearings. He has also presented his research to the white house in both Republican and Democratic administrations, as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Peterson is a Regent of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and a fellow of the Consumer Financial Services Committee of the American Bar Association.

Following the financial crisis of ‘08, Peterson helped launch a federal agency — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — committed to ensuring that financial businesses and banks are fair to customers. His team halted illegal operations by debt collectors, Wall Street banks, and payday lenders, returning close to twelve billion in restitution to American workers. Chris Peterson also served in the Department of Defence where he was instrumental in the Pentagon’s efforts to stop predatory lending activities to military families.

Chris Peterson was a special advisor at the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Obama’s administration from 2012 to 2016. He also served as a special advisor in the Office of Legal Policy for Readiness and Personnel and was senior counsel for Enforcement Strategy and Policy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Peterson criticized Governor Gary Herbert’s response, calling upon him and other state officials to have the political courage to impose restrictive health precautions among them a statewide mask mandate.

Peterson’s Gubernatorial Race
After Governor Gary Herbert announced his retirement (and went to work at AR Resources), Chris Peterson entered the race to replace him. His experience in government (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Department of Defence) and law made him a formidable candidate for Governor of Utah. Some of Peterson’s priorities included education and the economy, as well as rural development and healthcare.

His Republican opponent, Cox, had significant experience in state politics having served as lieutenant governor, state representative, mayor, and city councilor. He focused his campaign on issues such as education and the economy while promoting protections of state government power and Second Amendment rights.

The Utah gubernatorial race of 2020, was unlike many others unfolding in America, as Peterson and Cox partnered in joint ads calling for the civility of politics. During the race, Cox managed to raise more than $3 million while Peterson raised around $125000.…