Moore work ahead

Gearing up for his first re-election campaign, Moore focuses on service to Utah, nation

Midway through his first term representing Utah House District 1 in the U.S. Congress, 40-year old Blake Moore – an Ogden native – gained some extra clout. In early February, Moore was named the new ranking member on the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee that falls under the House Natural Resources Committee. 

In a Feb. 7 press release, Moore expressed gratitude for the opportunity,  and then took a dig at Pres. Joe Biden, blasting his administration for “harmful policies that are driving up energy prices, mismanaging our lands, and making America dependent on foreign countries for energy products and critical minerals.”

In a recent phone interview, the self-described optimist said he looks forward to Republicans regaining the majority in the U.S. House and Senate so he can continue to work on unfinished business. 

“We have all these pieces of legislation out there … and we want to make sure these get driven home,” Moore said. “You can really drive initiatives better from that (majority) position.”

Harrowing start

The third day of Moore’s first week in office – Jan. 6, 2021 – thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaching the halls of Congress where Senators and Representatives had begun to certify the electoral votes that installed Biden as president.

And within days, former Pres. Donald Trump was impeached – a second time – for inciting that insurrection. 

“My first 10 days were like nothing you’d ever experienced before,” Moore said. “That was clearly the most emotional.”

Fortunately, the second half of January improved, Moore said, with his receiving assignments to the House Armed Services and Natural Resources committees.

“We were excited to get on the right committees” to safeguard Hill Air Force Base and Utah’s public lands, Moore said. From there, the freshman congressman dug in and got to work.

Dark horse

When asked why he initially decided to run for Congress, Moore immediately brought up his four sons – all still in single digits with the youngest born at the end of last November.

“I want to make sure our kids have a strong future in our nation,” Moore said. “I worry about our crippling debt and these things that may make it harder to have the American dream.”

However, he was largely an unknown in Utah’s Republican Party when he took that leap.

“I wasn’t a political name in any way shape or form,” Moore said. “My mom worked in the old Weber County Clerk’s office and I remember carrying ballots back and forth when I was volunteering on election nights.” 

But his resume goes well beyond that early “grunt” work as a youth. 

Along with a master’s degree in public policy, Moore said he also worked in key capacities that built a foundation for his current role in Congress. 

Those building blocks include work with nonprofits, the Cicero Group, Utah’s prominent pollster Dan Jones, plus a recent stint with the intelligence community that took him to Washington, D.C. and overseas. Even so, Moore acknowledged that he lacked a specific role in the Republican Party, “with no real political name ID other than a strong connection to the community.”

But in certain circles, Moore had definitely made a name for himself. According to the National Football Foundation, Moore distinguished himself as an Ogden High School student who effectively juggled a 4.0-grade point average and achieved all-state quarterback status.

While he could tout past accomplishments, Moore said he prefers to deliver something less self-serving.

“People appreciate a message of optimism, of collaboration and hope. I try to communicate that,” Moore said. 

Reaching across the aisle

When asked what he was most proud of during his first year in Congress, Moore pointed to the bipartisan National Medal of Honor Monument Act – passed by the House last July and Senate in December, it quickly headed to Pres. Biden’s desk for his signature.

“I will always have that regardless of what my political future is,” Moore said. “I’ll always be able to come back to Washington, D.C., take my kids and say ‘I was a big part of making sure this Medal of Honor monument was established and that we can honor our nation’s heroes.’” 

More recently, Moore teamed with New Hampshire Democrat Annie Kuster to introduce a resolution in support of BridgeUSA programs (formerly known as the Exchange Visitor J-1 Visa Program).

“As I have traveled across Utah’s First Congressional District, the message I have heard from community and business leaders alike is that these programs simply work,” Moore said in a Feb. 2 press release. “Not only do they deepen ties between our communities and our allies abroad, but they allow our employers to fill important vacancies and address the challenging workforce shortages that exist here in Utah and across the nation.”

A Dec. 20 press release noted that roughly 9,500 bills were introduced in both chambers in 2021 – but only 95 had cleared both the House and the Senate.

“I think we’ve navigated a difficult year really well,” Moore said by phone, “and we’ve been productive amidst some political toxicity.”

Mid-life musings

So is 40 young or old? That depends on perspective.

According to the Library of Congress, House members at the start of 2019 averaged 57.6 years of age, while Senators showed a bit more gray at 62.9 years. 

“The year you’re about to turn 40,  run for office because everybody will call you young again,” Moore said. “It makes you feel pretty good about yourself – even though you’ve started to wake up sore every day like you’re an old man.”

After multiple commutes back and forth from Utah to Washington, D.C. to juggle legislative duties, town halls and his sons’ all-important little league games, Moore quipped  “I don’t feel a day over 60.”

However, sometimes 40 can also feel like the new 20.

On a Major League Baseball field in Washington, D.C. last September, Moore became the GOP’s ace in the hole. During the annual Congressional Baseball Game between Republicans and Democrats, Moore’s inside-the-park home run helped lead his party to victory. 

“I just know that I made my late coach Vic Anderson proud when I took the first pitch and it went right over the center fielder’s head, all the way to the fence,” Moore said. 

He cleared all the bases, and Republicans ended up beating the Democrats 13 to 12. According to The Hill, it was the third such win for the GOP in 13 years.

Moore called it “exhilaratingly hilarious.”

“In one way I was back competing in a Major League ballpark and in another way I’m a washed up old athlete, playing basically intramurals against a bunch of other washed up old athletes,” Moore grinned.

Can’t please everyone

As with anyone in Congress, Moore attracts his share of critics.

A Nov. 27 letter to the editor in the Standard-Examiner blasted him for joining the rest of the all-Republican Utah delegation in voting no on Pres. Biden’s infrastructure bill.

“You are becoming a faithful foot soldier in the Trump camp, keep up the good work!” the letter-writer wrote sarcastically.

But he’s also been blasted on Twitter by pro-Trump supporters because he  voted to certify the 2020 election and did not support the push for so-called forensic audits in all 50 states – as Salt Lake Tribune journalist Bryan Schott reported Sept 2. 

Robin Snyder tweeted that Moore was a RINO and a “mini-Mitt.” Cindy Whinham joined in, saying “He needs to go.”

But Moore prefers to stay focused on the tasks at hand and the future. That means getting re-elected this November.

“We need legislators back here in Washington, we don’t need a lot of twitter fame or performance artists,” Moore said. “You can’t please everybody in this job, but you can definitely find something to serve everybody with – whether it’s helping them get a passport, the work we do on committees or fielding a question to help them navigate a federal agency.” 

Utah’s filing period for federal and state offices opens March 7, but some candidates have already declared their intent to gather signatures to secure spots on the primary ballot – Moore’s campaign will collect signatures and Republican challenger William Campbell has also pledged to do so. 

Oscar Mata, vice-chair of the Utah Democratic Party, said he expects his party to announce a 1st District challenger soon. Mata, who teaches at DaVinci Academy, recently invited Moore to speak to his students about leadership and how those skills can be implemented at a local level.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity for students at a downtown Ogden school to hear from a congressman,” Mata said. “Blake spoke a lot about how leadership can be fostered and grown at a very early age.”

While Mata declined to comment on Moore’s first term in office, he did lament the current void of Democrats representing Utah in Congress.

“I think Utah has really suffered with not having Ben McAdams and a Democrat in the delegation,” Mata said.