Meet the candidate: Rudy Bautista, Democrat, running for Utah attorney general

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 — Rudy Bautista is running as a Democrat for Utah attorney general. He holds a bachelor of science degree in marine transportation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He later received his law degree from Brigham Young University Law School. According to his website, Bautista works as a public defender for his own law firm. He spoke with KSL at Night Hosts Rusty Cannon and Leah Murray on Oct. 29, 2024. A partial transcript from that interview, as well as the full podcast, are below.

---

KSL NewsRadio has modified this interview transcript for brevity and clarity.

HOST RUSTY CANNON: Tell listeners about yourself … What would you like everybody to know?

GUEST: RUDY BAUTISTA: … Everything about this state I love, and I want to make sure the state stays the best state in the nation. I’m tired of seeing attorney generals embarrass us. And I hope to bring integrity and honor and commitment to the people … I want to run and represent the people, not the legislature, not the governor.

For the last 25 years, I’ve been a criminal defense attorney. Upon graduation from school, I took a job as a public defender. [I] initially thought I’d do it for two years, get some trial experience, and then move on.

Instead, I’ve loved it. There is something to be said about actually helping people. I know most people think that [if] someone’s accused of a crime, they’re guilty. That’s not true. I’ve actually proven people innocent. … I want to be attorney general to make sure that we have an ethical criminal justice system.

HOST LEAH MURRAY: How about policy positions? If you were to say, ‘First day I’m attorney general, right out of the gate, [this] is the thing [I’ll] be working on?’

Rudy Bautista on his priorities, should he win as Utah attorney general

BAUTISTA: First and foremost, what I want people to understand is we have our own personal beliefs. But as an attorney we have to do what our clients want. … As Attorney General, the population will tell me what to do.

I would review all the lawsuits that are currently in play, and then … reach out to the public and get a heartbeat of the public …  Then [I’d] determine whether those lawsuits are fruitless. For example, the teachers union is suing against the school voucher program. I firmly believe that’s an equal protection violation. I firmly believe we’re taking money away from the public.

We have to keep our minds wide open to the fact that a strong public education system … is less crime and better for all of us.

CANNON: You mentioned a fairly contentious issue with the voucher program, as it’s called. Are there other issues [where] there might be some friction? 

BAUTISTA: We need to remember we’re a state, one of 50 in the United States of America, and we need to stop this nonsense of ‘it’s the federal government against us.’ The last time states did that, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers died in the Civil War.

[However] there are areas where the federal government does overreach. They’re dictating how our schools should be run. They’re dictating and blackmailing us over roads. Those are things we should fight.

Please listen to the full interview from KSL at Night below.

Related reading: Candidates for Utah attorney general debate at Southern Utah University

Follow @SimoneSeikaly