United States Senate elections in Utah, 2012

| Utah's 2012 elections

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2012 U.S. Senate Elections in Utah

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Candidates • Polls • Election History

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November 6 Election Winner:
Orrin Hatch
Incumbent prior to election:
Orrin Hatch

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Cook Political Report Race Rating
Solid R (Prior to election)

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2012 U.S. House Elections

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Voters in Utah elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the November 6, 2012 elections.

Incumbent Orrin Hatch won re-election on November 6, 2012.[1]

Candidate Filing Deadline  | Primary Election  | General Election

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March 16, 2012 | June 26, 2012 | November 6, 2012

Primary: Utah has a mixed primary system, with Republicans having a closed primary and Democrats having an open one. Both parties hold conventions prior to the primaries.

Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by October 7, or October 22 in-person. For the general election, voter registration deadlines are October 7, and October 22 in-person.[2]

See also: Utah elections, 2012

Incumbent: The election filled the Class 1 Senate seat, which was held by Orrin Hatch (R). First elected in 1976, Hatch is running for re-election in 2012.

## Election results[edit]

U.S. Senate, Utah, General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Orrin G. Hatch Incumbent | 65.8% | 657,608
| Democratic  |  Scott Howell  | 30.2% | 301,873
| Constitution  |  Shaun Lynn McCausland  | 3.2% | 31,905
| Utah Justice  |  Daniel Geery  | 0.8% | 8,342
| Independent  |  Bill Barron  | 0% | 0
Total Votes | 999,728
Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor, "2012 General Election Results"

## Candidates[edit]

Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.

General election candidates

Scott Howell (Utah)

Orrin Hatch

Shaun McCausland

Bill Barron

Daniel Geery

###  Democratic convention candidates[edit]

* Pete Ashdown: Internet entrepreneur[3]
* Scott Howell (Utah)[4]a
* William Peterson II[4]

###  Republican primary[edit]

* Orrin Hatch Incumbenta
* Dan Liljenquist: Former Utah state senator[5]

Note: the following candidates were defeated in the Republican convention: Kevin Fisk, Dale Ash, Loy Arlan Brunson, Tim Aalders, Jeremy Friedbaum, Christopher Herrod, William Lawrence, and David Chiu.

### Third party[edit]

* Shaun McCausland: Constitution Party[4]
* Bill Barron: Unaffiliated[4]
* Daniel Geery: Utah Justice Party[4]

## Race background[edit]

###  Democratic convention[edit]

In the April 21 Democratic convention, delegates chose Scott Howell (Utah) as the Democratic nominee.[6] Howell beat out Pete Ashdown and William Peterson II. There will be no primary for the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.[6]

###  Republican primary[edit]

In the April 21 Republican convention, delegates selected incumbent Orrin Hatch and former state Senator Dan Liljenquist as the top two candidates. In the second round of voting, Hatch failed to receive the necessary 60 percent of the vote to receive the nomination,[7] so Hatch and Liljenquist went on to battle in the June 26 primary.[8][6] Hatch won the primary.[9]

Politico listed it one of the top five primary battles this summer.[10]

Prior to the primary, Hatch stepped up his game, spending $10 million on the campaign and gathering endorsements from top Republicans including Governor Gary Herbert and Senator Jon Kyl from Arizona. A photo-op with Mitt Romney was seen as a great boost, as well, with a FreedomWorks for America member commenting: "Romney has a 90 percent-plus approval rating in Utah, and he’s come out for Orrin Hatch. So you can’t really touch that. It is hard."[10]

Liljenquist was seen as offering an alternative for "voters who blame the lifers in Washington in both parties for the fiscal mess."[11] In the lone debate between the two candidates, the challenger asked Hatch, "Do you feel at all personally responsible for the debt crisis in Washington?"[11]

Polls had Hatch leading by a comfortable margin.[12]

### Super PAC involvement[edit]

As of the end of May 2012, the Super PAC FreedomWorks for America had spent almost $800,000 to defeat Hatch.[13] $650,000 of that was spent before the convention.[7]

## Race rating[edit]

### Cook Political Report[edit]

Each month the Cook Political Report released race ratings for President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House (competitive only) and Governors. There are seven possible designations:[14]

Solid Democratic
Likely Democratic
Lean Democratic

Tossup

Lean Republican
Likely Republican
Solid Republican

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Cook Political Report Race Rating -- Utah Senate

Month  | Rating
October 4, 2012[15] |
September 13, 2012[16] |
August 21, 2012[17] |
July 12, 2012[18] |
May 31, 2012[19] |
May 10, 2012[20] |
March 22, 2012[21] |
March 1, 2012[22] |
January 26, 2012[23] |
December 22, 2011[24] |
December 1, 2011[25] |

## Campaign contributions[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2012 elections season. Below are candidate reports.

### Scott Howell[edit]

Scott Howell Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
April Quarterly[26]| March 31, 2012| $0.00| $24,950.00| $(0.00)| $24,950.00
July Quarterly[27]| July 10, 2012| $24,950.00| $94,735.50| $(72,709.69)| $46,975.81
| | | Running totals|
| | | $119,685.5| $(72,709.69)|

### Orrin Hatch[edit]

Orrin Hatch Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Pre-Convention[28]| April 1, 2012| $4,440,784.90| $1,279,072.91| $(2,471,963.21)| $3,247,894.60
Pre-Primary[29]| June 30, 2012| $3,247,894.60| $569,225.82| $(1,917,181.22)| $1,899,939.20
| | | Running totals|
| | | $1,848,298.73| $(4,389,144.43)|

### Bill Barron[edit]

Bill Barron Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
April Quarterly[30]| March 31, 2012| $0.00| $6,815.32| $(1,824.97)| $4,990.35
July Quarterly[31]| July 12, 2012| $4,990.35| $5,963.26| $(4,678.69)| $6,274.92
| | | Running totals|
| | | $12,778.58| $(6,503.66)|

## Election history[edit]

### 2006[edit]

On November 7, 2006, Orrin Hatch won re-election to the U.S. Senate, defeating Pete Ashdown (D), Scott N. Bradley (Constitution), David Starr Seely (L), Roger I. Price (Personal Choice), and Julian Hatch (Desert Greens).[32]

U.S. Senate General Election, Utah, 2006

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Orrin G. Hatch Incumbent | 62.4% | 356,238
| Democratic  |  Pete Ashdown  | 31.1% | 177,459
| Constitution  |  Scott N. Bradley  | 3.8% | 21,526
| Libertarian  |  David Starr Seely  | 0.8% | 4,428
| Independent  |  Roger I. Price  | 1.6% | 9,089
| Independent  |  Julian Hatch  | 0.4% | 2,512
Total Votes | 571,252

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Utah," November 7, 2012
2. ↑ Utah Lieutenant Governor, "Voting Registration Deadlines," accessed July 6, 2012
3. ↑ Deseret News, "Pete Ashdown to try again to unseat Sen. Hatch," accessed January 6, 2012
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office: Elections, "2012 Candidate Filings," accessed March 16, 2012
5. ↑ Utah Standard-Examiner, "Liljenquist officially enters US Senate Race," accessed January 6, 2012
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Utah Lt. Gov. Office: Elections, "2012 Candidate Filings," accessed May 27, 2012
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Hill, "Hatch falls just short at Utah GOP convention, will face primary," April 21, 2012
8. ↑ UtahGOP "Election Results: U.S. Senate," April 21, 2012
9. ↑ AP/CSPAN "Utah-Summary Vote Results," June 26, 2012
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Politico, "Summer's 5 hottest Senate primaries," June 20, 2012
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wall Street Journal, "Steven Moore: Orrin Hatch Battles Ted Kennedy's Ghost in Utah," June 22, 2012
12. ↑ KSL "Hatch leads Liljenquist in KSL/DesNews poll," June 25, 2012
13. ↑ OpenSecrets, "FreedomWorks for America Outside Spending," accessed May 27, 2012
14. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Our Accuracy," accessed December 12, 2011
15. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," October 4, 2012
16. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," September 13, 2012
17. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," August 21, 2012
18. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," July 12, 2012
19. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," May 31, 2012
20. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," May 10, 2012
21. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 22, 2012
22. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 1, 2012
23. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," January 26, 2012
24. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 27, 2011
25. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 1, 2011
26. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Howell for Senate April Quarterly," accessed July 13, 2012
27. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Howell for Senate July Quarterly," accessed July 13, 2012
28. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Hatch Election Committee Inc Pre-Convention," accessed July 13, 2012
29. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Hatch Election Committee Inc Pre-Primary," accessed July 13, 2012
30. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Barron for US Senate April Quarterly," accessed July 13, 2012
31. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Barron for US Senate July Quarterly," accessed July 20, 2012
32. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7,2006"

## See also[edit]

* United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2012
* United States Senate elections, 2012

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Utah's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mike Lee (R)

Mitt Romney (R)

Representatives

District 1

Blake Moore (R)

District 2

Chris Stewart (R)

District 3

John Curtis (R)

District 4

Burgess Owens (R)

Republican Party (6)