KSL Truth Test: Fact-checking debate claims in House District 3 race [Video]

SALT LAKE CITY – Two candidates vying for the seat being vacated by Congressman John Curtis – who is running for the U.S. Senate – faced off in a debate Thursday at Brigham Young University in Provo.

Republican Dr. Mike Kennedy, who currently represents part of Utah County in the Utah State Senate, is running against Democratic candidate Glenn Wright.

In the hourlong debate, sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission, the two candidates shared their views on housing, energy, artificial intelligence, social media, immigration, and the war on drugs. But did their statements of fact hold up to the KSL Truth Test?

The KSL Investigators fact-checked several claims from the candidates:

The war on drugs

Kennedy made multiple statements about migrants crossing the border during the debate. In one instance, while discussing the addictive nature of social media and how social media companies appeal to children, he said, “It sounds like heroin dealers or fentanyl dealers that are coming across the border.”

Later, when discussing the war …