(St. George, UT) – Even within the massive public sentiment, a negative one at that, throughout the U.S. about Congress Members and their performance, Santa Clara resident David Clark wants to become one, a U.S. Congress member, for the newly re-mapped District 2 which envelopes Davis County, through Salt Lake County and down the west side of the state to Washington County.

With 11 sessions of political experience representing Utah’s 74th district plus two years as Speaker of the House, Clark says he has the medicine for what ails Washington D.C.

“I’m not interested in going to Washington D.C. to forget about Utah,” said Clark in an interview in his office at Zion’s Bank on Wednesday. “I’m interested in going back to Washington D.C. to teach them about Utah and about what we’ve done and why we’re the best managed state in the nation, why we have a triple-A credit rating, unlike what Standard & Poor has given our country.”

Clark makes no bones about the state of national politics in his analysis.

“The problems that we are mired down in, the debt deficit and general distrust seems the only thing of surplus coming out of Washington D.C. right now, it creates some real challenges,” he said.

“Maybe it’s only one Congressman at a time, but you got to initiate that change. There has to be a change. The simple truth is, I don’t think anybody in this country thinks we are on a sustainable path. Like Cinderella, the clock’s going to strike 12—on this fiscal path we are on.

“The sooner that we recognize it and begin doing those course corrections, the sooner we can find it much better for everyone.”

The opinion polls regarding Congress and the challenging work does not dissuade him from his aspirations of legislating in Washington.

“I think clearly a lot of those feelings [towards congress] have been well earned,” said Clark. “I don’t remember a time when we seem to have lost our constitutional compass quite as far . . . certainly lost our fiscal discipline.

“I really worry that when you start losing your fiscal discipline, when those monetary issues go, I just worry that you are giving up part of your personal liberties.”

Asked to cite a few traits or skills that he has that makes him worthy of the behemoth tasks that await those in Washington for the 2012 year, Clark said, “I hope to bring fiscal discipline, I hope to be constitutional based, and I hope to be practical, as we have done in the Utah State Legislature. I’ve tried to be a problem-solver.”

He argues that he has the understanding of the variety of issues that will face the person who will serve as the Congress member representing Utah’s District 2.

“I think I have a unique mix of experience and I don’t know if there’s another candidate who can bring the same resume as I bring,” Clark said.

He added that he served as the speaker during a very trying time in the state’s history—further suggesting his experience is what is needed within the marble walls of the buildings that stand between Constitution and Independence Avenues.

“We lost twenty percent of our taxable revenues during those two year periods [when Clark was speaker]. We balanced our budget; we didn’t borrow money to get by,” he said. “We lived within our means. I understand what it’s like to make those gut-wrenching decisions that are very very difficult. It’s not an easy time to be in.

“That’s the kind of person you want to have serving this district. Someone who is willing to make the hard decisions, and who is trying to find solutions to make our state move forward and our country forward.”

Rep. Clark will soon be executing his campaign, starting with an itinerary announcement at the "Whats Up Down South" Washington County economic summit on Wednesday January 12th at the Dixie Center in St. George, Utah. Clark’s speech may well springboard his campaign for the District 2 Congressional seat.

“There’s plenty of challenges in Washington D.C.—that’s for sure,” said Clark. “In fact a lot of those challenges are coming right back home. Whether it be land issues, water issues, state sovereignty issues, just the dominance of the Federal government and its overlay in so many aspects of our life.

“There are a lot of things that I think Washington D.C. can learn from Utah.”

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Visit links to the candidates who are running for Utah's 2nd District and learn more about their platforms by clicking on the names:

Former Utah House Speaker David Clark

Conservative activist Cherilyn Eager

Retired Air Force Pilot and best selling author Chris Stewart

Former Air Force official Chuck Williams

Businessman Howard Wallack

Navy and commercial pilot John Willoughby

Former NFL and BYU football player Jason Buck

Business owner Jeramey McElhaney