SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's 3rd Congressional District is one of the youngest in the nation with 25 percent of potential voters in their 20s to mid 30s, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Hoping to represent the district are Congressional candidates Rep. Jason Chaffetz, running for his fourth term in office, and Brian Wonnacott, actively campaigning for the past month.

Brian Wonnacott - D, Utah

Wonacott told the Utah Policy website that he knows the odds are not in his favor this election in a district that is 70 percent Republican, with Democrats making up only 30 percent of registered voters. However, he is moving forward with his campaign.

Wonnacott is not a typical politician. With less than 200 likes on his Facebook page at the time of writing and a large image gallery full of “Brian Wonnacott for Congress” campaign signs pictured throughout his district, Wonnacott is trying to get his message out however he can.

In addition to running for office, Wonnacott also works as a software engineer and is an avid outdoorsman, according to The Daily Herald.

“I’m not a politician," he told the Herald. "I’m a problem solver. I’d like to do my part for Utah. I don’t consider myself running against Chaffetz but against the do-nothing Congress of what he’s a part."

Although Wonnacott started fundraising only recently, he is working on getting his message out to voters.

“I was kind of drafted as a candidate and I am debating as to how much I want to (get) into it," Wonnacott said in an interview with UtahPolicy.com. I'm not planning on doing a lot of fundraising because I don't want to spend other people's money."

Wonnacott’s shared his positions on various issues during the 3rd Congressional Debate on Oct. 7 at Utah Valley University, where Wonnacott and Chaffetz discussed everything from Ebola to education.

Concerning the Ebola virus, Wonnacott disagreed with Chaffetz's approach and said he does not support pouring federal funds into more stringent screening processes at ports.

"Ebola really is not a border problem," Wonnacott said during the debate. It's a problem of discovering where people are coming from overseas and managing their associations with people they come in contact with."

The candidates also had opposing views about climate change.

Wonnacott said he believes in the science behind global warming and wants the U.S. to be more actively engaged in finding alternative sources to oil and searching for renewable sources of energy.

Chaffetz, in contrast, is skeptical about the reality of climate change, calling the “Al Gore-defined global warming” a “farce” during the debate.

Both candidates shared similar positions on many other issues, including foreign policy, tax reform, economic development, veterans' health care and the affordability of education.

Ultimately, Wonnacott wants to appear relatable to his constituents, proving to his district that members of Congress should be in tune with and listen to the needs of their constituents.

"I am the guy who's around the table, who's making sure that people understand the issues on every side and making sure that consensus is reached," Wonnacott said during the debate. "And that's something that is really needed in Washington."

Representative Jason Chaffetz - R, Utah

Chaffetz kicked off his first term in office with a 2009 appearance on "The Colbert Report’s" segment, “Better Know a District.” Now running for his fourth term in office, he's had the chance to get to know his district over his several decades of residence.

Originally he moved to the area as a placekicker in 1988 and '89 for the Brigham Young University football team; during his last year of college he converted from Judaism to Mormonism, wrote J.J. Goldberg on The Jewish Daily Forward.

During his young adult years, Chaffetz was a Democrat and the Utah co-chairman of Michael Dukakis’ 1988 campaign as the Democratic nominee for president, according to a 2007 article in the New York Times. The change came in 1991 when Chaffetz officially registered with the Republican Party, according to a 2012 article on Gretawire, part of Fox News.

Several years later, in 1995, Chaffetz met with Jon Huntsman, whom he wanted to meet after reading an article about Huntsman’s potential run for governor, according to Chaffetz's biography on his website. Eventually, Chaffetz became Huntsman’s campaign manager and worked in the governor’s office after Huntsman became Utah’s 16th governor.

In 2008, Chaffetz was elected to represent the 3rd District by a 37-point margin, according to his website.

Chaffetz has been an avid opponent of President Barack Obama's administration's policies since being elected.

Most recently, Chaffetz attracted national attention during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, after his intensive questioning of Former Secret Service Director Julia Pierson regarding the 2014 White House security breach. The breach occurred after an intruder sprinted across the lawn and entered the North Poritco doors of the White House, according to NBC News.

Chaffetz's performance during the hearing showcased his abilities in a way that some say positions him to become the 2015 chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, according to the Roll Call website, which covers Capitol Hill.

Chaffetz is also known for speaking out about the 2012 Benghazi attacks, severely criticizing the Obama administration and saying it lied to the American people about how and why the attack happened.

“We have a major, major scandal. We have lies that are perpetuated by this White House,” Chaffetz said in an interview with Fox News, posted on the Politico website.

The Obama administration’s methodology in handling the Ebola virus also has Chaffetz talking. He believes the administration has so far been ill-prepared in handling the epidemic, he said in an interview posted to Politico.

“I think we really need to look at travel bans and quarantines," the lawmaker said to CNN last week. "I don’t buy into the idea of self-quarantines; that’s obviously not working. And we’re sending a lot of mixed signals, and I think that’s part of the discussion as well.”

Chaffetz’s position on the issues during the debate at UVU echoed his frustration and lack of trust in the federal government. In approaching most issues, from education to public land use, Chaffetz said he supports limited government and believes there shouldn’t even be a federal Department of Education.

"Leave it up to the state of Utah … and I guarantee you they will do a much better job of figuring it out" than federal agencies, Chaffetz said during the UVU debate.

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