SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert defended a Democratic Utah House member after the Republican challenger sent out a mailer insinuating that the incumbent does not back religious freedom.
The Deseret News reports Todd Zenger says in the ad that he is the only candidate for the state House district who stands for “the free exercise of religion, conscience or belief.”
Zenger is running against four-term Rep. Patrice Arent, the only Jewish member of the state Legislature.
The Republican governor tweeted a photo of him and Arent, saying he has “always appreciated her dedication to preserving freedom of religion and conscience.”
Zenger defended the mailer Sunday, but later issued an apology, saying he did not intend “to be insensitive to any person, race or religion, or to malign any religion or race.”
