Blouin is vying to represent the new court-ordered Democrat-heavy 1st Congressional District anchored by Salt Lake City.

Punchbowl reported on comments it attributed to Blouin, which Blouin did not deny in his public apology.

Among the comments, according to Punchbowl, Blouin:

• “recommended buying a GoPro camera ‘for filming porn with your underage sister.'”
• said that a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had accidentally “seen a pornographic image he was viewing.”
• characterized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “a bunch of bigoted a*******” who had an “ideology fostering ignorance and intolerance.”
• said members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were “the worst part of living in Utah”
• said “the LDS church is DEFINITELY just a front for the largest US drug cartel.”
• admitted to defecating in the corner of a Latter-day Saint church parking lot.

Additionally, Punchbowl reported:

“Blouin made a post praising a comedian who joked about a domestic violence incident between the artists Chris Brown and Rihanna. Blouin wrote the comedian ‘hit the nail on the head. pun intended.’

“When a student athlete at Brigham Young University was charged with sexual battery, Blouin made light of the assault on LetsRun.com, writing: ‘good ol’ mormon kid. had to let out the pent up sexual frustration somehow.’

“On that same thread, Blouin also lamented that people are ‘are too damn sensitive’ and that ‘slapping girl’s a**** as you run by … shouldn’t land you in jail or anything by any means.'”

His comments also included explicit, gendered profanity as an insult; a derogatory slur targeting those with disabilities; and an explicit threat of sexual violence.

Punchbowl claimed to have screenshots of the comments, which it said had not been previously reported, and in a statement, Blouin acknowledged the posts while offering an apology.

In a statement released on X, Blouin said:

“There’s no excuse for these posts – they’re vulgar, stupid, and reflect a version of me in my early twenties that I’m ashamed of and have thankfully evolved past. When a reporter sent me these posts, I was horrified to see my use of language toward women and about a faith that my family, friends, and millions of Utahns practice.

“I won’t minimize what I wrote, and I believe every candidate forced to look at their old online activity should take full accountability for the person they once were behind their computer screen. To the people I hurt with my words, I sincerely apologize.

“All I can say is I’ve spent the past decade of my life trying to become someone worth trusting – as a neighbor, as an advocate, and now as a public servant – to fight for working families, for health care, for the dignity of every person in this district. I will keep showing up every day as the person I’ve worked to become. That is my promise to you.”

In a story by KUTV, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson called for Blouin to not just end his campaign for Congress but his service in public office.

“I appreciate his apology and hope it reflects genuine growth,” Wilson said, according to KUTV. “However, even with that acknowledgement, I do not believe he should continue to serve in public office or seek election to Congress. Public service requires judgment and conduct that meet a high standard, and in my view, his past actions fall short of that expectation.”

According to KUTV, former Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley called for Blouin to leave the congressional race.

“Bradley called the remarks ‘beyond the pale’ and said Blouin’s apology falls flat in the midst of the congressional race,” according to KUTV.

Contact Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.