Back in 2014, I met Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes at the Republican Election Night party. I was a young, independent voter at the time, just figuring out the networking labyrinth.
As a first-generation American with immigrant parents, I was anxious to figure out my way in the political world. I asked Reyes that evening for advice in ways to get involved in politics. He encouraged me and one of his advisors told me that the Republican Party needs more Latinas.
The Republican Party needs more of a lot of things. In my opinion, they ought to start with more tolerance and understanding. That is one reason why, five years later, I am the first Latina Political Director at the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), where I work to support and elect more Democratic attorneys general. Democratic attorneys general are fighting in court to protect health care for millions of Americans, keep families together and safeguard our democracy. The Democratic Party may not be perfect, but I am proud to stand with the party that earned my Latina vote.
As a native Utahn, and with nieces and nephews growing up there, the next Utah attorney general race isn’t just a work project, it’s a personal mission. Reyes and his fellow Republican attorneys general are fighting in court to take away health care from more than 102,000 Utahns and put health care for more than 1.2 million Utahns with pre-existing conditions in jeopardy. The case, Texas v. US, is currently being reviewed in the Fifth Circuit. Oral arguments were heard just a month ago.
The repeal of the ACA would be devastating, yet Reyes continues to spread GOP lies about this lawsuit. In his response to DAGA’s ad campaign calling out the hypocrisy of attorneys general like Reyes on health care, Reyes defended his dangerous position and chose to stand with Donald Trump over everyday Utahns. He claimed the ad campaign was “personal and false.” The only things personal here are the personal lives of Utahns, like my niece who was born with a preexisting condition and my diabetic father who was recently diagnosed and treated for cancer.
And Reyes’ claims that the Affordable Care Act has failed are patently false. Without the ACA, more than 1.5 million Utahns could once again have to pay for preventative care and more than 150,000 Utahns would pay more for coverage because consumers would lose access to tax credits that cover costs.
Health care is not the only issue where Reyes is out of touch. Reyes’ lack of action to keep families together and protect Utah’s immigrant communities has been noted.
Since 2016, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s field office in Salt Lake City increased arrests by 24 percent. Fear of deportation and being separated from their families is rampant in Utah’s immigrant communities. Fellow Utahns are outraged and have stood together by protesting the Trump administration’s treatment of migrant families at the border.
Meanwhile, when the family separation policy was first announced by the Trump administration last April, there were no tweets, no official statements, no outrage from Reyes calling out this inhumane policy. The only time he’s ever commented was to applaud the administration’s ineffective executive order to end the policy that they created.
That’s not leadership, that’s lip service.
In Utah, we believe in family first, love thy neighbor, and unity. Utahns deserve an attorney general that will fight for them and lead with values. Attorney General Reyes is up for re-election in 2020. Too often, these critical races fly under-the-radar, but there is too much at stake to not sound the alarm.
I’ll be sure to do my job and find a 2020 attorney general candidate who will put Utah families first. Utah voters, please do yours: pay attention to your attorney general and where he stands on the issues that matter. And most importantly, vote.
Farah Melendez
Farah Melendez is the political director at the Democratic Attorneys General Association. She was born and raised in North Salt Lake, where her parents and siblings still reside. She now lives in Washington, D.C.