Meet the candidate: Bill Campbell, Democrat, Utah’s 1st Congressional District

As Election Day nears, KSL NewsRadio is interviewing candidates to get their stance on today’s issues. Keep an eye on our election coverage as we continue to speak to the 2024 General Election candidates.

SALT LAKE CITY — Bill Campbell is running as a Democrat to represent Utahns in the 1st Congressional District. Campbell graduated from Illinois State University and received a graduate degree from Utah State University in finance and international business.

His work experience includes an executive role with Autoliv as the Chief Financial Officer. According to his website, Campbell has served on several charity boards and chambers of commerce.

Campbell spoke with KSL At Night hosts Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner on Oct. 22, 2024. The partial transcript and full podcast are below.

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KSL NewsRadio modified this interview for brevity and clarity.

HOST LEAH MURRAY:  Bill, why should voters vote for you in Congressional District One?

GUEST BILL CAMPBELL:  … I bring a brand new perspective with a business background, with KPMG and public accounting, over 30 years working for local businesses, over 20 as the CFO.

I’m extensively involved in a lot of community activities and I believe I have a unique perspective in the fact that I’m not taking donations.

HOST ADAM GARDINER:  If you win this thing, you’re gonna be one of 435 members in the House. And if the [Republicans] take control, you’re the minority party in there. So with your experience … how do you get the federal government’s budget under control? As one of 435 people?

CAMPBELL:  First and foremost, even my opponent has acknowledged that 2025 is going to be a critical year for financial matters. With the expiration of the tax cut and Jobs Act, with the deficit. I truly believe someone like myself as a CPA, CFO and MBA from Utah States [is] more than what’s needed.

And with regard to the budget … I’ve had to work through corporate budgets, through multi-stakeholder initiatives, between corporate plans … between SEC reporting. So I worked my entire career dealing with multiple different interests and progressing successfully.  And that’s exactly it. It’s identifying the strategic goals and getting all the stakeholders aligned. And I know we can do that.

Candidate Bill Campbell on energy independence

GARDINER:  Talk to us about some of your ideas and some of the bills that you would run to create energy independence.

CAMPBELL:  I’m an advocate for green energy and renewables, but we simply don’t have the capacity for that right now. So I do support using fossil fuels and carbon-based technologies, and just trying to make those as efficient as possible. I believe step one in that is improving the permitting process so we can bring more and more capability and supply online as fast as possible. 

MURRAY:  How are you connected to [the Democratic] party? Do you see yourself becoming part of their leadership?

CAMPBELL:  I would need to connect with everyone, because I’m starting off … without a bunch of allies. But I’m also starting out with no opponents, no one I’ve offended. 

Two years ago, I ran as a Republican. They asked me at the convention, ‘do you promise to vote for all Republicans and fully support the Republican platform?’ My honest answer was no. I wasn’t objecting to anything, but I couldn’t make a commitment that I was going to vote straight platform.

I’ve been asked that again on the Democratic side, ‘will you vote straight platform?’ Will you support all Democratic candidates? And I said, ‘no, that is not the basis. Party preference is not going to be the basis for my decision making.”

Please listen to the interview in its entirety, below.

 

Related: Meet the candidate: Rep. Blake Moore running for re-election in Utah’s 1st Congressional District

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