Burgess Owens took a major step toward the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, as the Associated Press declared the former Jets safety the winner of the Republican primary in Utah’s 4th Congressional District.
The state of Utah tallied 34,090 votes (43.53 percent of the popular vote) in favor of Owens before Kim Coleman, Owens’ competitor who tallied 18,675 votes (23.85 percent), announced that she was conceding the race on Wednesday.
WE DID IT! Thank you for all your support over the last few months. Now, onto November! pic.twitter.com/2zRwJ5rZyK
— Burgess Owens (@BurgessOwens) July 1, 2020
Now that he has won the primary, Owens will challenge the incumbent, Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams, in November’s election. McAdams, 45, has held office since January 2019.
The 68-year-old Owens played 10 seasons in the NFL, seven of which came with the Jets. From 1973-79, he appeared in 97 games for New York, recording 21 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries. Owens played the final three years of his career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, where he won Super Bowl XV in 1980.
Owens has been outspoken about players who decide to kneel during the national anthem in order to protest social and racial injustices in America, a movement that was sparked by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin and numerous other instances of police brutality around the country, kneeling during the anthem has resurfaced as a hotly debated topic.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Kristian Dyer, Owens went as far as saying he would avoid watching the NFL altogether if players continued to kneel during the anthem.
“If [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell allows Kaepernick to come back, if they allow players to kneel during the national anthem, I’m willing to not watch the game,” Owens said. “The only thing that can change the league is to change commissioners. This has been going on way too long, it is four years of this mess.”