Debbie Aldrich, Republican Candidate for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District

Hillary Koellner- “Debbie, when did you first get involved with politics?

Debbie Aldrich- “The first time I got involved with politics, on and off I’ve been involved, but a specific time I think of is back in 2008 when I became a delegate with christians for Israel and I went to Washington D.C. and went around the country talking to people and that’s what kicked off my activist standing for conservative values. I started a foundation called Patriots Unite where I didn’t want it to be about a party, but about Americans. I traveled the country getting know people and what ways i could help them.”

Hillary Koellner- “What college experiences do you have the made you the person you are today?”

Debbie Aldrich- “Back in 1979 when I was in college that is when the Shah of Iran fell and there were a lot of protest and I had lived in the middle east, and I was talking to many of these protesters, if you haven’t been to the region, how can you protest about this? I mean, no dictator is great, but I don’t think we’ll have democracy in this region for a while. That was an experience that stayed with me.”

Hillary Koellner- “What personal failure have you had that made you the person you are? How did it change you and what did you learn about yourself?”

Debbie Aldrich- “I’ve had failures for sure, we all have them and that’s what we learn from. Going through my divorce and having two young children and thinking how this was going to affect them is one moment I can think back to. Everything I do I keep them in mind, and how my choices will affect their life. They are grown now and the good news is that they are just fine. One of the things about failure or circumstances is that I always look at the silver lining, and the greatest part is that my children have been able to see me have a plan B to be able to go through the storm. We will all have storms in life, whether of our own making or circumstances.”

Hillary Koellner- “What was your first job, what did you learn about it?”

Debbie Aldrich- “I was a young teenager, I can’t really remember, I was very involved in high school, I think it was a Fred Meyers store, but i think what was most influential in my life was that my father was in the military. He took us to see everything, we traveled through east Germany while it was still occupied by the Russians, we never went through an organized tour he taught us everything and it helped us to stay internationally involved.”

Hillary Koellner- “Do you believe one man or woman can change the system?”

Debbie Aldrich- “Well, that’s a big question because i think our politics today are very convoluted. I think we have people on both sides of the aisle who don’t want change. I’m really hoping our president can bring change, I hope i can bring change. I think it’s going to take a lot of determination and cooperation by being an influencer to other people.”

Hillary Koellner- “Which magazines or newspapers do you read and how do they influence your point of view of life?”

Debbie Aldrich- “I don’t read much newspapers anymore, because they are so polarizing and thank goodness for the internet. I think it’s up to us to get the information. As far a magazine I can get a publication of the NRA magazine, and I don’t subscribe to much. I do most of my research by talking to people and I don’t just talk to conservatives, I talk to liberals too, because we need to address others concerns and reach across the aisle, and that is one of our biggest issues in Washington today.”

Hillary Koellner- “What about political campaigns has surprised you?”

Debbie Aldrich- “I don’t think there has been much that surprised me, I’ve been pretty plugged in for some time. It is disappointing at times that the public or the voters, whether they be delegates or citizens, don’t really get a full scope of each of the candidates involved, and that there is bias by the media.”

Hillary Koellner- “What is one thing you would like people to know about yourself that you think shapes you as a person?”

Debbie Aldrich- “I would like people to know that I come from a long line of patriots, and my father made it his point to show us the world and always taught us ‘duty and country first.’ Actually, the military motto is the motto for my campaign, ‘service before self’ and I didn’t even know until after I picked it. My father fought in three wars and he is the person I admire the most. He was the most humble person and the kindest person and the greatest patriot, and i wish i could live up that.”

By Hillary Koellner