Close associates and friends of Blake Moore told him he would win big on election night, but the newly elected Congressman for Utah’s District 1 was not so sure. “You just don’t want to believe it until you see it,” he said. He should have believed his friends. The Republican carried 68.3% of the vote compared to Democratic rival Darren Parry’s 31.7%.
With the election over, Moore has shifted his focus to his first priority – making sure people know he wants advice and input, and cares deeply about collaboration and teamwork. He says this is what drew him to run for office and, now, as Utah’s youngest member of Congress, he is excited to form strong relationships with local community leaders, tribal leaders, state legislators and Gov.-elect Spencer Cox.
For three weeks out of the month he will be in Washington, but when Moore is in Utah he hopes to spend his time working out of his district office collecting input and helping constituents. He admires the town halls run by Rep. John Curtis and says he plans to conduct his own to collect information and mingle with his constituents. He will also leverage technology to stay connected with his Utah base.
When asked about the issues he feels are critical to Utah, Moore says he will put heavy focus on supporting the future of Hill Air Force Base, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) initiative, which is the military’s effort to replace the aging ICBM system, and the F-35 program at Hill. He adds that the deck on his house as a kid faced Hill Air Force Base and he grew up knowing that the Air Force base is a point of pride for northern Utah and is vital to Utah’s economy.
“The importance of Hill Air Force Base cannot be overstated. It makes our country safer, provides jobs to tens of thousands of Utahns, and needs someone with enough runway to commit to securing its future,” he says.
Moore also considers support for agriculture to be a big-ticket item and says he will “carry the water” to champion issues imperative to Utah’s ag economy. What’s more, he says Utah and other western states are at a disadvantage with lopsided land ownership controlled by the federal government. He will press for access and balance, and work to convince key stakeholders that by working together, Utah and the federal government can find agreement and create policies that benefit everyone.
“We need to work with federal agencies to provide equitable access and opportunities for our recreation-based and agricultural economies to thrive,” he says. Moore also feels strongly about supporting economic diversity in rural Utah, mental health initiatives, aligning higher education with workforce needs, and market-driven healthcare solutions.
In his professional career, Moore worked as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State and in the intelligence and defense community. For nearly a decade he worked for Cicero Group, a Utah-based management consulting firm, where he provided consulting services to help businesses grow and help organizations solve complex problems. He has also worked extensively with the George W. Bush Institute’s school leadership team to help school districts effectively recruit, retain, and develop K-12 principals and administrators. Further, he has been involved in community-building efforts on behalf of the Utah Adoption Exchange and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Born and raised in Ogden, Moore is the youngest of five children. From his dad he says he learned responsibility and hard work, and from his mother optimism and service. Moore attended Ogden High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball. During his senior year he was awarded the Wendy’s National High School Heisman, which honors high school seniors for athletics, academics, and citizenship. For that award he was honored by former Gov. Mike Leavitt and the Utah Legislature, while the late Ogden Mayor Glenn J. Mecham dedicated December 23rd as Blake Moore Day. Moore says these experiences and others like them planted in him the seeds of service that would eventually lead to his run for Congress.
After graduating high school, he signed a scholarship to play quarterback at Utah State University for Coach Dave Arslanian, one of his mentors and a dear friend. Moore served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Seoul, South Korea, and then finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah. He later obtained a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.
Moore and his wife, Jane Boyer, have been married for a decade. He says his wife takes their relationship a step beyond just being supportive and encourages him to take risks and pursue big things – like running for Congress. They have three boys, Max, George, and Winston. “Family is everything, and I hope to make them proud in the service that is to come,” he adds.
