Meet the candidate: Katrina Fallick-Wang, running for Utah’s 4th 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 — Katrina Fallick-Wang is running as a Democrat, challenging the incumbent, Rep. Burgess Owens, to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional District.  According to her website, Fallick-Wang graduated from college at age 18 and became a web developer. 

Fallick-Wang spoke with KSL At Night hosts Taylor Morgan and Greg Skordas on Oct. 16, 2024. A partial transcript and full podcast are provided below.

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This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

HOST GREG SKORDAS:  Anyone that is willing to run for public office, no matter what, you gotta hand it to them. I’m happy to meet them, happy to see what makes them tick and why they’re even in the race. So maybe we should start with that, Katrina. 

GUEST KATRINA FALLICK-WANG: My name is Katrina Fallick-Wang, and that is my legit legal last name, it’s okay to laugh at it. We meant it to be funny. I grew up in Washington State, in a small, very rural farming community — a completely off-grid community. Growing up there, I learned not just the value of hard work, but also how really, really critical our environment and our natural resources are to our success.

I moved here to Utah in 2008.  I came here because I work in tech, and I was attracted by the Silicon Slopes. And all five of my sisters live here.

HOST TAYLOR MORGAN: Tell us a little bit more about what you would hope to accomplish in Congress when it comes to protecting Utah’s natural places.

FALLICK-WANG:  I think there are some really exciting things that we can do with tech and innovation, environmental protection and green energy. I think there’s a natural relationship between business and the environment in that way. Those are two groups that sort of historically have fought against each other. But I think there’s actually so much that can be done at the federal level. I see my role as getting some of those roadblocks and some of those regulations out of the way.

Katrina Fallick-Wang on education, and reproductive rights

MORGAN:  According to your campaign you’ve made education a top priority. Tell us about how you would approach that in Congress.

FALLICK-WANG:  I think we need to not leave states on their own to handle education. K through 12 education is something that we have promised to the young people of America. It’s the federal government’s responsibility to make sure that all children, regardless of the state they are living in, are getting a quality education.

SKORDAS:  What is your position with respect to women’s reproductive rights?

FALLICK WANG: There are decisions like how we build our family and how we educate our children, and these are family decisions. They’re intensely personal, and I would even say sacred decisions that I don’t think we want the government involved in.  

I think a lot of times we start talking about late-term, third-trimester abortions. One side is rightfully horrified, and one side is like, ‘well, they’re a very, very small amount.’ They are a small amount. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care about them. I think the way to approach them, though, is to come to the table with empathy and compassion.

Please listen to the interview in its entirety, below.

 

 

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