This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Weinholtz said Tuesday that Donald Trump has a long history of mistreating women and that Gov. Gary Herbert only dropped his support for the Republican candidate to save himself from political fallout.
"Donald Trump has a 30-year, well-documented history of bragging about marital infidelity and sexual conquest and objectifying women, so just one video over the weekend was enough to change the governor's mind?" Weinholtz said. "Most of the politicians who have unendorsed Trump have done so not because it's the right thing to do, but to save their own political hide."
But Weinholtz, speaking at a rally of about 75 people in support of women on the steps of the Capitol Tuesday evening, said the issue goes beyond Trump, arguing that Herbert should have done more to support Utah women during his seven years in office.
The state has the fourth-largest wage gap between men and women — a woman earns 70 cents for each dollar a man earns, compared to 79 cents nationally — and women are underrepresented in Utah boardrooms.
The state did not to expand Medicaid by much, which Weinholtz said could have helped working mothers if it were a more robust increase, and 1 percent of the money allocated to deal with sexual assault goes to preventing the crimes.
"He doesn't listen to women or experts on how to help women, and his administration has contributed directly to mistreatment and inequality for women in Utah," Weinholtz said. "I promise each of you right here and right now that as governor I will do everything in my power to challenge sexism, protect women from sexual violence, fight against rape culture and empower Utah women with equal opportunity every single day."
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox defended Herbert's record on women's issues Tuesday.
"It takes more than a political stunt to make a difference for Utah women," Cox said. "From key members of his senior staff and cabinet, to business leaders and women across the state, I've seen firsthand that Gov. Herbert is a strong defender of and advocate for women. The governor understands that Utah is at its best when people have equal opportunity, regardless of their gender. To allege otherwise is simply not supported by the facts."
Weinholtz released his own policy proposal Tuesday, saying that he would put more money toward preventing sexual violence, testing all rape kits collected by investigators, improving training for police who investigate sex crimes, expanding outreach to at-risk communities and increasing focus on offender rehabilitation.
To address the wage gap, Weinholtz said he would audit state government to identify areas where women are underpaid, build programs to encourage women to seek careers in science and engineering, and develop initiatives to foster female entrepreneurship.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke