U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens is scheduled to debate Democrat Darlene McDonald in suburban Salt Lake City on Friday in their first and only meeting in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
The two candidates will meet for an evening event that will be live-streamed but neither televised nor open to the public.
A debate between the two almost did not occur after Owens withdrew at the 11th hour from an earlier Utah Debate Commission-hosted televised event due to what he said were complaints about the moderator.
His absence drew rebukes from McDonald and the United Utah Party's candidate, January Walker. The two challengers running to unseat Owens in suburban Salt Lake City's 4th Congressional District said it reflected how the first-term congressman wasn't accountable to his constituents.
Utah's 4th Congressional District has historically swung between Democrats and Republicans, yet Owens is expected to win reelection in part because Republican lawmakers redrew its boundaries in last year's once-in-a-decade redistricting process to lean more Republican.
Former President Donald Trump won the district by nine percentage points in 2020, but would have won by 26 percentage points under its new boundaries.
Owens is a former football player who converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near the end of his career in the NFL. He spent part of his childhood growing up in segregation-era Florida and is one of two Black Republicans in the U.S House of Representatives. He sits on the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Judiciary Committee, which oversaw impeachment proceedings against Trump.
In addition to skipping the scheduled debate earlier in October, he also did not participate in a televised debate in the lead-up to the Republican primary. His campaign ads have focused on abortion, fighting critical race theory and opposing transgender kids playing girls' sports.
McDonald is an author and community activist focused on education and racial inequities in Utah. She's previously run for office twice, unsuccessfully.
Walker, the third-party candidate, is not expected to attend the debate.
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