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by Brigham Tomco, Deseret News · KSL.comEstimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah's 4th Congressional District won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday.
Wednesday morning, with 54% of the votes counted, totals showed Owens with 61.8% of the vote, Fallick-Wang with 32.6%, United Utah Party candidate Vaughn Cook with 4.2% and unaffiliated candidate M. Evan Bullard with 1.4% of the vote.
"I'm honored by the trust Utah's 4th District has placed in me once again. We have a lot of hard work ahead, but I'm all in — committed to securing a future Utahns can count on and be proud of. That means fighting for a strong economy, keeping our communities safe and building an education system that puts our kids first. Thank you for your faith in me," Owens said in a released statement.
Over the course of two terms, Owens, a Super Bowl champion, entrepreneur and author, has championed what he calls a "free market education." As chairman of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Owens has proposed withholding funds from campuses that allow antisemitic protests and has introduced bills that would create K-12 scholarships for homeschooling resources and ban college accreditors from requiring diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
What's next for Owens?
Fallick-Wang, an email marketing manager, argued that this approach exacerbates disparities in education quality and she called for the complete federal funding of public education with oversight from the Department of Education during a televised debate.
Fallick-Wang also took opposing stances to Owens on allowing transgender youth to participate in sports with the gender they identify with and giving women the right to abort their unborn child under guidance from medical professionals.
Fallick-Wang said she ran to show those "who never saw themselves here that this was possible. Even more so, to show them the support and the love that they have for them from the people of Utah."
When she saw she'd received more than 30,000 votes, Fallick-Wang said, "I don't know how 30,000 people voted for me. I don't know that many people. So anyone who felt like they do not have a place, like they do not have a voice, please know that this is possible. All you have to do is stand up. All you have to do is raise your hand, and say what you need to say."
Fallick-Wang said she was told she couldn't win and shouldn't even run but "came so close" despite this being her first run for office and having a "minuscule budget." She said her results demonstrate that "if you have something to say, stand up and say it. Like, put yourself out there."
Owens entered office in 2021 after narrowly defeating Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams by less than 1 percentage point in 2020. Two years later, Owens won reelection by nearly 30 percentage points in a newly redrawn district crafted by the state Legislature.
With less than four years in Congress, Owens is now running to chair the House Education and Workforce Committee with a focus on holding institutions of higher education accountable.
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche
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Brigham Tomco
Brigham Tomco covers Utah’s congressional delegation for the national politics team at the Deseret News. A Utah native, Brigham studied journalism and philosophy at Brigham Young University. He enjoys podcasts, historical nonfiction and going to the park with his wife and two boys.