Sen. Deidre Henderson (R) District 7, Third Congressional District Candidate

Hillary Koellner- “Senator Henderson, tell us about the first time you got involved with politics, is it true you ran Jason Chaffetz’s campaign out of your laundry room and what motivated you to take civic action?”

Deidre Henderson- “What inspired my love of politics was my grandmother, who back in the 80’s would always talk about politics and loved Ronald Reagan. Back in January 2008 I met Jason Chaffetz for the first time and his message inspired me so much that I decided to volunteer to make calls to delegates to help him make a difference in our country.”

Hillary Koellner- “Deidre, how did your family take the news when you told them you wanted to run for the 3rd congressional seat in Utah?”

Deidre Henderson- “They were on board with this idea long before I was, my initial reaction was no I don’t want to leave and my husband said, let’s not say no straight out of hand. He has always been supportive, ever since I first decided to get involved in politics and even more when I ran for a state office for the first time.”

Hillary Koellner- “You have a son who is currently serving his mission in Africa, how did he take the news? And what about your daughter?”

Deidre Henderson- “We emailed him and told him what we were thinking about and he was excited and very supportive. My kids have always stood by my side, my daughter even interned for me one year during the legislature. I love to show my children that they can always make a difference.”

Hillary Koellner- “Wow, what an incredible family dynamic. Your children have watched you as both a volunteer and as an elected official, they’ve seen both sides of it and as you have taught them that they can always make a difference, do you believe that a single person can make a difference within the system?”

Deidre Henderson- “Yeah, I’ve seen it happen. That’s something that I love of our political system, you don’t need to have a famous dad or millions of dollars, but you do need to have ideas and make coalition. One person can make a difference in our country and those who decide to take action and stand up for what they believe in are those who make a difference.”

Hillary Koellner- “Definitely an inspiring view of politics within the country. I’ve seen you make a difference with your family and focusing so much on education through your time in the legislature, I’m curious to know if there is a teacher who made a difference in your life that perhaps at that moment you didn’t even know how it would affect you?”

Deidre Henderson- “The teacher that comes to mind that especially helped me get prepared for running for office was my drama teacher Barbara Richard from junior high. She was an inspiration to me and lots of kids, she always pushed us to reach our full potential, she taught us how to speak in a small group and with an audience and how to have stage presence.”

Hillary Koellner- “Could you share with us what was your first job and what did you learn from it?”

Deidre Henderson- “My first job with a paycheck was when I was 14 years old in a kiosk in a mall during Christmas time. I was selling polystyrene airplanes. I made 4-bucks an hour and got little bonuses for every airplane that I sold. Part of my job was to make the airplanes fly to attract people to buy them and one time I bent the wing and broke it right in front of the guy whom I was trying to sell it to, he just left while laughing at me. That’s the moment I really learned to thicken my skin.”

Hillary Koellner- “What magazines or newspapers would you say you read consistently and how do they help shape your view of the world?”

Deidre Henderson- “I like to read a lot of the local papers also Politico, The Hill, and Washington Post. The morning updates that we get from the Salt Lake Tribune, Political Cornflakes, are very useful to me to stay updated locally. I read everything online on my phone. I spend a lot of time reading the news, especially local. I like to get a lot of different perspectives, I think it’s dangerous when people only read things that they agree with. I think it can be reinforcing to read other opinions. You may find a way to compromise or at least learn something new.”

Hillary Koellner- “That’s an interesting perspective! Now let’s say being royalty was suddenly a possibility in the United States and you got to be Queen for a day, what are three things you would change?”

Deidre Henderson- “First, I would make sure Congress went back to following article 1 section 8 of the Constitution. I’d also change some policy such as economic opportunity and do things in congress to start a tax reform. I would definitely do something to simplify our tax code because it’s too complicated for all Americans, I’m tired of it. Lastly, I would pull the plug on the power in the executive branch, it’s harmful for people.”

By Hillary Koellner