"We've had a 75 or 80 year run with some really aggressive progressive policies," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). "They haven't worked. They have enhanced America's opportunity deficit, and the American people want a more conservative government."
In 2010, Lee launched a successful primary challenge to three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Bennett and went on to with the general election with 61 percent of the vote. Lee credits hotly contested primary elections not just with his own career but with keeping the Republican Party accountable to its constituents and the values it claims to hold.
"In order for the Republican Party, or any political party for that matter, to be able to lay any claim to be a party of principle, there needs to be a robust debate within that party. And for that to occur I think primary elections will always need to happen," Lee tells Reason TV's Nick Gillespie.
Lee talks about the rise of the Tea Party faction in Congress (of which he is a leader), why the GOP is failing to connect with millennials, and the role of religion in politics. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Lee says his Mormon faith shapes his views on the proper role of government, but adds:
"As a voter what I look for is whether somebody shares my view of government and its proper role. That person may or may not share my faith; that person may or may not have any faith. I'm hiring them not to be my minister. I'm hiring them to represent me in government. I want to know what they think the proper role of government is."
About 20 minutes.
Camera by Amanda Winkler and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Winkler.
Music by Onyx Ashanti (http://onyx-ashanti.com/)
For a transcript of the interview and for downloadable versions of the video go to
http://reason.com/reasontv/2014/07/11/sen-mike-lee-on-the-importance-of-primar
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