October 05, 2018
Iranian-American Shireen Ghorbani is the Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Republican congressman Chris Stewart in Utah’s Second Congressional District.
Ghorbani grew up in North Dakota, the daughter of an Iranian father and an American mother who was a teacher. She was raised largely by her mother.
Ghorbani served in the Peace Corps along with her husband in Moldova. With two master’s degrees, she is now employed by the University of Utah in communications and organizational development.
She has spent much of her career working with victims of sexual violence, which puts her at the center of one of the dominating issues of this year. She currently serves as the board chair for the Rape Recovery Center in Salt Lake City.
Congressman Stewart has had an easy time winning three terms in Congress. In the elections of 2012, 2014 and 2016 he always won with more than 60 percent of the vote.
But a poll taken early in September, indicates his support has slipped, although not yet by enough to make him a former congressman. The Utah Policy.com poll shows Stewart has support below 50 percent, which is challenging. The poll gives Stewart 45 percent, Ghorbani 34 percent, with Libertarian candidate Jeffrey Whipple at 5 percent and 16 percent undecided.
The poll showed a huge gender gap, something that has been common around the country this year. Stewart led with males by a wide 21-point margin, 48 percent to 27 percent. But he had only a two-point margin over Ghorbani with women voters.
The congressional district takes in much of western Utah, including Salt Lake City and running down to the state’s southern border, taking in the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments, which were created by President Obama, and then reduced substantially in size by President Trump.
She and her husband, Nick, have a three-year-old son, Desmond.