KSL INVESTIGATES

KSL Truth Test: Fact-checking debate claims in race for Utah’s open U.S. Senate seat

Oct 11, 2024, 11:02 AM | Updated: 11:25 am

SALT LAKE CITY – Three candidates vying to fill Sen. Mitt Romney’s open seat in the U.S. Senate made their case to voters Tuesday from a debate stage at Weber State University. Republican Rep. John Curtis, Democrat Caroline Gleich and Independent American candidate Carlton Bowen shared differing views and opinions, but did their statements of fact pass the KSL Truth Test? Here’s what the KSL Investigators found:

District demographics

Rep. John Curtis said this about the congressional district he’s represented for seven years:

The 3rd Congressional District, which I currently represent, is the youngest district in the country.

The district’s status as the nation’s youngest was the subject of news articles in 2016. But a check of the latest census data available from 2023 shows that’s changed.

The district has a median age of 31.2, and Utah’s neighboring District 4 now appears slightly younger, at 31.1. A spokesperson with Curtis’ campaign noted recent redistricting likely had an impact on the change.

The KSL Investigators found Curtis’ claim that his district is the youngest in the county is no longer true.

Utah’s water supply and the Great Salt Lake

Democrat Caroline Gleich said this:

We are not going to dam our way out of this and currently 71% of the water diverted from the Great Salt Lake is going to agriculture.

The majority of water diverted from the Great Salt Lake does indeed go to farming. The Utah Department of Natural Resources has said about 65% of the water goes to agricultural use. And a report out last year from Brigham Young University says since 2020 — 74% of consumptive water use from the lake — goes to agriculture.

The KSL Investigators didn’t find data pointing to the 71% Gleich mentioned, but she’s within the range of the two percentages identified by the state and BYU-led report, so Gleich’s claim passed the KSL Truth Test.


Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.

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KSL Truth Test: Fact-checking debate claims in race for Utah’s open U.S. Senate seat