FILE -- Burgess Owens, Republican candidate for Utah’s 4th Congressional District, talks to reporters during an election night event for Republican candidates at the Utah Association of Realtors building in Sandy on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In a meeting with Utah House Democrats, Congressman Burgess Owens said he now accepts Joe Biden as the nation’s president.
It comes after Owens voted on January 6 to object to the certification of Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes.
Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, was the individual to ask Owens about his vote in early January.
In response, Owens pointed to a letter that he signed with some of his colleagues that was sent to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He says in the letter, he pledged to “rise above the partisan fray and work towards meaningful change.”
Later, when answering questions from Rep. Suzanne Harrison, D-Sandy, Owens admitted to undergoing somewhat of a revelation when it comes to political ideology.
“What I didn’t realize and now I am realizing is that the ideology that we’re all fighting against is something we all need to know is out there. There are literally people who do not love our country the way we do. And when I say that, my apologies go to liberals, because I didn’t quite see the difference in liberalism and Marxism and socialism. There’s a difference. There’s a difference,” said Owens. “We believe in God. We believe in capitalism. We believe in the family unit. Conservatives and liberals believe that.”
Congressman Blake Moore also visited Utah lawmakers on Thursday. It was the first day Utah’s congressional delegation came to Capitol Hill, which is a tradition every year near the beginning of the legislative session.