SALT LAKE CITY — The woman who has become known as America’s Government Teacher was in Utah Wednesday.
Sharon McMahon, also known on social media as SharonSaysSo, greeted fans Wednesday at the King’s English Bookstore before an event at UVU which she says was “part history lesson, part dance party.”
She’s also helping Utahns sift through the political noise ahead of the election. The bookstore says around 350 women turned out to get books signed. It’s called “The Small and the Mighty” and is about little-known people in U.S. history who’ve had a major impact on the nation.
“There’s no such thing as a Republican-bridge or a Democrat-bridge. These are things that everybody wants. We all want safe communities and opportunities for our kids,” McMahon said when talking about how opposition parties are needed for any supermajority state.
It’s that type of advice that makes her fans see her as a voice of reason.
“She’s just very neutral with the facts,” said one fan.
“She does a lot of the sifting through the noise so that I have the time that I spend. I know that I can trust her,” said another.
“We may have different ideas of how to get (better policy),” said McMahon, “but the goal has to build a bigger tent and not sort of crush the opposition beneath our heel.”
She said a healthy democracy thrives with lots of voices.
“Politics can not become a zero-sum game, that we should not say only good ideas come from our party,” McMahon says.
And her advice has made voters like Angie Dodge feel more educated.
“Learning that the primaries (in Utah) are actually a lot more important than the general election — and that the state and local government initiatives, and all that, are heavily important to listen to, so being involved on her Instagram got me more into that,” she said.
Her fans are especially looking for truth and impartiality as the Nov. 5 election approaches.
“The focus on the issues, the focus on what is and is not constitutionally correct is super helpful,” said fan Bex Chase. “Like what a candidate promises, what they can actually do. So we’re hearing lots of promises, but some of the things that the candidates are promising, it’s not something that is constitutionally available to them.”
McMahon’s advice for getting facts ahead of the election: Visit trusted websites and read lots of news articles to get different perspectives. And don’t vote for someone just because you recognize their name or party. She also frequently advocates for reading local news.
“I think sometimes people get frustrated that they turn on MSNBC and it’s not what they want it to be … then watch the local news,” she said.
She says local races are equally important, if not more important than the national ones.
“Listen, the president isn’t going to fix the potholes, these are the real issues that drive how satisfied you are with your community,” McMahon said
And her message is resonating with Utah women in particular.
Because after all, Sharon says so.
