Politics & Government
Candidates for Utah Legislative Senate seat 21 profiled
Staff Writer | Lehi Free Press
As part of our commitment to keeping voters informed, the Lehi Free Press invited candidates in contested Republican races appearing at upcoming county conventions to participate in a candidate profile by responding to the same three questions.
Here are the questions candidates were asked:
Why are you running for public office?
What are your top priorities if elected?
What separates you from other candidates?
By asking identical questions, we aimed to provide voters with a clear, consistent way to compare each candidate’s priorities, experience, and vision for our community. The profiles below include responses received by our publication deadline. Incumbent candidate Brady Brammer did not provide a response prior to the print deadline.
If any of these convention races advance to a primary election, additional coverage will be published during the primary cycle, May through June. Contested races for the general election will be covered September through October.
Kelly Smith
I chose to run for the Senate because I believe the relationship between state legislators and local governments should be collaborative and cooperative.
Now in my second term on the Cedar Hills City Council, I’ve seen firsthand how often the legislature imposes one-size-fits-all solutions that overwhelm communities and weaken local control. That experience has been frustrating — and it’s an area we can easily improve.
My top priority is to build on the strong relationships I have with local elected leaders, community groups, and residents so we can work as partners. I want policies shaped by the people they affect.
I will focus on the real issues facing our families: housing affordability, transportation, and education. My goal is to represent our community’s interests — not special interests or personal agendas. Legislation is a tool, not a weapon, and new laws should improve our quality of life, not make it more difficult.
My experience as a city council member, longtime community volunteer, former public school teacher, and small business owner gives me a practical understanding of how policies affect families and local governments.
I’ve worked directly with residents, educators, and local leaders to solve problems, balance budgets, and plan responsibly for growth. That background has taught me to listen first, communicate clearly, and be proactive and responsive.
I will bring a community first, conservative, solutions-oriented approach to the legislature.
I’m a mother of four and grandmother of seven. I’m a lifelong Republican and have served as a delegate and precinct chair.
My husband and I bought our first home in American Fork in 1992 where we raised our children for 22 years before moving to Cedar Hills in 2014. I taught kindergarten and second grade in Lehi for ASD and have served on numerous community boards and as a local and council PTA president.
Seth Stewart
Our government is expanding rapidly beyond its enumerated powers, often through programs that promise to lower the cost of living but consistently accomplish the opposite. Popular sovereignty requires people to stand in the way of overreach and hold government to its short list of enumerated powers, rather than allowing families and property to become pawns in a centralized plan. The state is reducing freedom in many forms. It increasingly mirrors federal overreach in the name of federalism. Cleverness is often mistaken for conservatism. We need discernment to recognize long-term consequences before it is too late.
Religious freedom, property rights, defendant rights including jury trials, and stopping further expansion of power are my highest priorities. Returning to Article I, Section 10 currency would end inflation permanently. I have made legislative proposals that would save Utahans thousands of dollars annually and resolve our most contentious electoral issues in a completely fair manner.
I encourage everyone to study the Constitution and compare it to what we see today. I review nearly 50 bills a day during the legislative session and publish my findings at SethAndrewStewart.com. I have testified against dozens of harmful bills and proposed solutions that return to long-forgotten constitutional principles. I appealed to the United States Supreme Court to uphold a defendant’s right to a jury trial when our state refused. I have seen how Utah families are harmed by our regulations and courts, and how legislative policy enables those outcomes. My role is to safeguard against radicalization and overreach.
I am a married father of six precious children. We have lived in American Fork for seven years since I graduated from BYU with an MS in computer science. My children’s future means everything to me. This requires us to stand in the way of injustice by learning and defending true principles. If we do not choose the future for our children, someone else will. I ask for your help in this most important effort.
