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WEST JORDAN — Rep. Burgess Owens didn't face a GOP primary this election cycle, so he had some spare time to fill. Over the past month, the Utah congressman jetted to various states, from Georgia to New York, to try to help Republican candidates.
In conversation with the Deseret News, Owens said he appreciated his Utah's 4th District constituents, and said in Utah he sees the same "conservative values of faith, families, free market" that he grew up with during his 18 years in Tallahassee, Florida. Now he is taking those values on the road, to help candidates who have received his endorsement.
"It's fun because I have a chance to travel the country," he said. Engagement among voters is higher than he's seen it before, Owens added.
Owens endorsing key Republican candidates
Owens is helping GOP candidates fundraise who have already been vetted by the Republican National Committee. Last weekend, he visited a handful of them, including Connecticut state Sen. George Logan and former Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett, who are both running for House seats, as well as Owen's colleague Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., who is seeking reelection.
Logan is sharp and has good business acumen, said Owens. In a social media endorsement post, he said, "George's story is inspiring: from his grandparents' journey from Jamaica to Guatemala, to his parents' pursuit of the American Dream. He has tirelessly served his community in the Connecticut State Senate, achieving historic tax cuts and fiscal stability." Owens noted Logan "is running in one of the most competitive races in the country."
The Utah congressman spent some time with Logan at a rally in Waterbury, Connecticut, last Saturday before flying over to stump for Barrett. The Michigan candidate served in the military for more than 22 years, serving in the Iraq War, Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait and the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Owens' next stop was New York.
The Utah congressman joined Molinaro, who is on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with Owens, at Village Pizzeria in Catskill, New York, where they spent some time together.
"It's great to see a leader who never forgets his roots," he said in an endorsement post on the social platform X.
Molinaro worked at a deli in Tivoli, a central New York village, for 10 years. There he washed dishes and mopped floors before learning to make sandwiches, breakfast and pizza.
"He goes around his district and he just flips pizzas," said Owens of Molinaro's fundraising strategy. "People come in, they support the business, and he has a chance to talk with them."
"Every place is a little bit different, and it is up to each candidate to decide how to best use my time. But fundraising is a big piece of it. ... We just spend time with businesses or walk around the town or whatever else," the Utah congressman said.
Conservative values and NFL legacy
Despite living in Utah with his family — six children and 17 grandchildren — for 10 years, Owens retains his popularity on the East Coast.
"I played in the NFL for 10 years and I played with a team that was very well-known at the time," he said of playing on the New York Jets and the-now Las Vegas Raiders. Owens was on the Raiders team that won the 1980 Super Bowl. "Part of it is being able to connect on the sports side, but I think, more importantly, it is the very solid conservative values ... that resonates no matter where we go."
Owens said this is also a way for him to connect with his House colleagues.
"I'm just thankful not only to have a chance to support them, but there's something else is coming out of it — the relationships that we can we develop outside of Washington, D.C.," Owens said. "These are good friends of mine now, and the more we work together, the stronger we can be as a body when we get back to D.C."
Owens is one of five Black conservatives in Congress, and the message he wants to spread is simple, regardless of what district he is campaigning in: America is a great country.
The circumstances of the last few years — including the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the Oct. 7 attacks — have created disruptions but voters want things to go back to normal now, said Owens.
"I've never been as excited about our country as I am right now, and it might sound kind of crazy because so many bad things are happening, but the thing about America is that once we understand we have a problem," he said. "We're finally having these conversations, stepping on the brakes a little bit, saying, 'We're going off the edge way too fast. Let's see what we can do to bring ourselves back.'"
Owens continues to travel in support of candidates, even as he visits with constituents in Utah. In August, he plans to go to New Jersey and New York. Between his official duties and his campaign efforts for House Republicans, Owens still finds time to get together with his family, saying nothing says summer better than a pool party.
"I know my kids are taking care of their kids and when I come back, we all get together, and that's where I get my recharge," he said.
