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Colton Bolton, rookie CD‑2 candidate, outlines desalination, strict immigration and no‑aid stance
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Summary
In an interview with Davis County Citizen Journalism, Colton Bolton, a candidate for U.S. House in Congressional District 2, described his background as a National Guard veteran and public‑sector financial adviser and laid out major priorities: a Pacific desalination/SMR energy plan, immigration enforcement using bank KYC changes, debt reduction and a pledge to reject certain political donations.
Colton Bolton, a first‑time candidate for the U.S. House representing Congressional District 2, told Davis County Citizen Journalism he is running because redistricting creates a moment to elect a ‘‘very strong’’ representative and to pursue long‑term solutions on issues such as water, immigration and federal spending.
Bolton described himself as a National Guard veteran and a financial adviser at the Utah retirement system (URS). He said his candidacy is driven by concerns over recent redistricting and the political choices candidates in other districts may make. ‘‘If District One’s gonna send someone crazy to Congress, then we need to send someone very, very strong,’’ he said.
Bolton outlined an ambitious water‑and‑energy plan that would pair large‑scale Pacific desalination with pumped conveyance across Northern California, Nevada and Utah and use small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to provide the power the project would require. ‘‘It’s bigger than really the Hoover Dam in terms of solving it,’’ he said, adding that advances in small reactors make such pumping feasible and could produce low‑cost power for the region.
On immigration, Bolton said enforcement should be a top congressional priority and advocated regulatory fixes to change incentives. He suggested adding residency status to banks’ know‑your‑customer (KYC) forms and tightening eligibility for certain benefits so undocumented residents would be more likely to leave rather than rely solely on deportations. ‘‘We just add that question, and now we functionally debunk huge amounts of people,’’ he said.
Asked about fiscal policy, Bolton criticized omnibus bills and earmarks as avenues for fraud and said he favors structural changes to reduce the national debt, including a proposal he described that would prevent rolling over Treasury notes to force long‑term retirement of debt. He called a balanced budget amendment ‘‘amazing’’ in principle but said other structural reforms are also needed.
On foreign policy and President Trump’s leadership, Bolton praised results he credited to the administration — including a sharply reduced rate of illegal border crossings, as he characterized it — and said military judgment and executive action on operations had been effective in recent conflicts. He described his own overseas service and said he favored pulling most forces out of CENTCOM while retaining the capability to strike or disrupt threats.
Bolton discussed vaccine mandates and said his refusal to comply with a COVID‑19 vaccination requirement while in the National Guard was a formative experience. He recounted that he and a small group of holdouts went through multiple military review stations, including JAG, and that he was willing to accept a dishonorable discharge rather than comply with the mandate.
Bolton repeatedly emphasized independence from special‑interest influence, saying he would refuse certain political donations (he stated he would not take money from “APAC” as he put it) and promised to expose backroom deals if elected. The interview concluded after roughly 30 minutes; Bolton confirmed he lives in Syracuse, inside the district.
What’s next: Bolton is seeking delegates ahead of the county and state conventions and said he will continue outreach to voters and party delegates.
