Utah Treasurer election, 2016

Utah 2016 elections

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Utah Treasurer Election

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Primary Date:
June 2016
General Election Date:
November 8, 2016

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November Election Winner:
David Damschen (R)
Incumbent Prior to Election:
David Damschen (R)

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State Executive Elections Top Ballot
Governor and Lt. Governor
Attorney General • Treasurer
Down Ballot
Auditor
Key election dates

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Filing deadline:
March 17, 2016
Nominating conventions:
April 2016/May 2016
Primary date:
June 28, 2016
Filing deadline (write-ins):
September 9, 2016
General election date:
November 8, 2016
Recount request deadline:
TBD
Inauguration:
January 2, 2017

Utah held an election for treasurer on November 8, 2016. Incumbent David Damschen (R) won election to a full term.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Incumbent David Damschen (R) was appointed by Governor Gary Herbert (R) in December 2015 to fill a vacancy.

* Damschen was seeking election to a full term in 2016, and was challenged by former state Rep. Neil Hansen (D) and Richard Proctor (CP) in the general election.

* Prior to the 2016 election, Democrats had not held the office of treasurer since 1981.

* Damschen won the general election on November 8, 2016.

## Contents

* 1 Candidates
* 2 Results
* 3 Context of the 2016 election
* 3.1 Primary elections
* 3.2 Incumbent David Damschen (R)
* 3.3 Party control in Utah
* 4 Campaigns
* 4.1 Campaign media
* 4.2 Campaign finance
* 4.3 Endorsements
* 5 About the office
* 6 Incumbent
* 6.1 Qualifications
* 7 Authority
* 8 Past elections
* 8.1 2012
* 8.2 2008
* 8.3 2004
* 8.4 2000
* 9 Recent news
* 9.1 State profile
* 9.1.1 Presidential voting pattern
* 9.2 See also
* 9.3 External links
* 9.4 Footnotes

## Candidates[edit]

Neil Hansen (D)
State rep. from 1999 to 2010

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David Damschen (R)
Incumbent state treasurer since 2015

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Richard Proctor (Constitution Party)
Retired economist

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Click show to see candidates defeated at the party conventions.|

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| Merrill Cook (R) - Former U.S. Congressman[1]

## Results[edit]

Incumbent David Damschen defeated Neil Hansen and Richard Proctor in the Utah treasurer election.

Utah Treasurer, 2016

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  |  David Damschen Incumbent | 61.23% | 652,704
| Democratic  | Neil Hansen | 31.70% | 337,994
| Constitution Party  | Richard Proctor | 7.07% | 75,363
Total Votes | 1,066,061
Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office-Elections

## Context of the 2016 election[edit]

### Primary elections[edit]

A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. In Utah, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. Registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters may vote in the Democratic primary. Only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary.[2]

Unlike the major parties in most states, those in Utah elect delegates who vote to nominate the party candidates at the state conventions without a primary election.[3] In order to receive the nomination at the convention, a candidate must secure at least 60 percent of the vote. If no candidate wins at least 60 percent, a primary election is held.[4]

Utah's primary elections took place on June 28, 2016. The Republican primary for governor was the only primary election on the ballot. No primary elections were held for state treasurer, as all candidates were nominated at party conventions.

### Incumbent David Damschen (R)[edit]

Damschen was appointed to the position of state treasurer in December 2015 by Governor Gary Herbert. Damschen filled a vacancy left by Richard Ellis (R), who resigned mid-term in order to assume a position in the private sector. Prior to his appointment, he served as chief deputy treasurer for the state under Ellis' administration. Damschen had previously worked as senior vice president of AmericanWest Bank before beginning his career in state government.

### Party control in Utah[edit]

Utah state government has been under Republican trifecta control since as early as 1992. Additionally, all partisan state executive offices are also held by Republicans. The state has not seen a Democratic governor since Scott M. Matheson left office in 1985. Utah has not been represented by a Democrat in the U.S. Senate since 1977; the state's electoral college votes have gone to a Republican every presidential election since Lyndon B. Johnson (D) in 1964.[5]

Prior to the 2016 election, Democrats had not held the office of state treasurer in Utah since Linn C. Baker (D) left office in 1981. Republicans had won elections to the office by margins of around 30 percent or higher every election year since 2000.

## Campaigns[edit]

### Campaign media[edit]

Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!

Democrats

| Neil Hansen (D)  |

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Republicans

| David Damschen (R)  |

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### Campaign finance[edit]

David Damschen Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Convention report| January 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016| $0.00| $19,126.06| $(11,378.07)| $7,747.99
Primary report| April 14, 2016 to June 16, 2016| $7,747.99| $2,925.00| $(3,764.32)| $6,908.67
| | | Running totals|
| | | $22,051.06| $(15,142.39)|
Neil Hansen Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Convention report| January 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016| $0| $45.00| $(1,443.02)| $−1,398.02
Primary report| April 14, 2016 to June 16, 2016| $−1,398.02| $3,064.03| $(1,640.89)| $25.12
| | | Running totals|
| | | $3,109.03| $(3,083.91)|
Richard Proctor Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Convention report| January 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016| $0| $0| $(0)| $0
Primary report| April 14, 2016 to June 16, 2016| $0| $0| $(0)| $0
| | | Running totals|
| | | $0| $(0)|

### Endorsements[edit]

Below are all endorsements found by Ballotpedia to date.

Key endorsements

David Damschen
Former Treasurer Richard Ellis (D)
Governor Gary Herbert (D)
Salt Lake County Treasurer K. Wayne Cushing
What is a key endorsement?

## About the office[edit]

The Treasurer of Utah is an elected executive position in the Utah state government. The treasurer is the state's chief financial officer, responsible for the management of taxpayer dollars. As the custodian of public money and the central bank for state agencies, the treasurer oversees the collection, safeguarding, investment and disbursement of state funds.[6]

# Incumbent[edit]

The incumbent was Republican David Damschen.

### Qualifications[edit]

Article VII, Section 3 of the Utah Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:

1. To be eligible for the office of State Auditor or State Treasurer a person shall be 25 years of age or older at the time of election.
2. No person is eligible to any of the offices provided for in Section 1 unless at the time of election that person is a qualified voter and has been a resident citizen of the state for five years next preceding the election.

* a qualified elector
* a resident of Utah for five years preceding election
* at least 25 years old

# Authority[edit]

The office of treasurer is established in Article VII, Section 1 of the state Constitution.

Article VII, Section 1:

The elective constitutional officers of the Executive Department shall consist of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Attorney General...

# Past elections[edit]

### 2012[edit]

See also: Utah down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Incumbent Richard Ellis (R) won re-election in 2012. He defeated Christopher Stout (D) and Vincent Marcus (L) in the November 6, 2012 general election.

Utah Treasurer General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  |  Christopher Stout  | 28.1% | 247,277
| Republican  | Richard Ellis Incumbent | 66.9% | 589,045
| Libertarian  |  Vincent Marcus  | 5% | 44,257
Total Votes | 880,579
Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor (dead link)

### 2008[edit]

On November 4, 2008, Richard K. Ellis won election to the office of Utah Treasurer. He defeated Dick Clark in the general election.

Utah Treasurer, 2008

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Richard K. Ellis | 66.7% | 604,091
| Democratic  |  Dick Clark  | 33.3% | 302,247
Total Votes | 906,338
Election results via Elections.utah.gov.

### 2004[edit]

On November 2, 2004, Edward T. Alter won re-election to the office of Utah Treasurer. He defeated Debbie Hansen (D) and three third-party candidates in the general election.

Utah Treasurer, 2004

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Edward T. Alter Incumbent | 61.2% | 536,606
| Democratic  |  Debbie Hansen  | 33.2% | 291,179
| Personal Choice  |  Mary A. Petersen  | 3.1% | 27,553
| Libertarian  |  Jim Elwell  | 2.4% | 20,961
| Independent  |  David J. Murtha  | 0% | 2
Total Votes | 876,301
Election results via Our Campaigns.

### 2000[edit]

On November 7, 2000, Edward T. Alter won re-election to the office of Utah Treasurer. He defeated Hugh A. Butler (L) and Elliot J. Hulet (NL) in the general election.

Utah Treasurer, 2000

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Edward T. Alter Incumbent | 82.9% | 532,372
| Libertarian  |  Hugh A. Butler  | 12.7% | 81,697
| NL  |  Elliot J. Hulet  | 4.3% | 27,778
Total Votes | 641,847
Election results via Elections.utah.gov.

# Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Utah treasurer election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Utah Treasurer election, 2016 - Google News

## State profile[edit]

Demographic data for Utah

| Utah| U.S.
Total population:| 2,990,632| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 82,170| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 87.6%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 1.1%| 12.6%
Asian:| 2.2%| 5.1%
Native American:| 1.1%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0.9%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 2.6%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 13.4%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 91.2%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 31.1%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $60,727| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 12.7%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Utah.

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**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

### Presidential voting pattern[edit]

See also: Presidential voting trends in Utah

Utah voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Utah coverage on Ballotpedia

* Elections in Utah
* United States congressional delegations from Utah
* Public policy in Utah
* Endorsers in Utah
* Utah fact checks
* More...

## See also[edit]

Utah government:

* Utah state executive offices
* Utah State Legislature
* Utah courts

Previous elections:

* State executive official elections, 2015
* State executive official elections, 2014

Ballotpedia exclusives:

* State executives compensation
* State of the state addresses
* Who runs the states?

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## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

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* Utah State Treasurer's Office

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Utah Political Hub, "Merrill Cook running for Utah State Treasurer," November 6, 2015
2. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Voter Registration: Utah," accessed January 3, 2014
3. ↑ In many states, the party nomination takes the form of an endorsement, with the nominee decided in the primary elections. In other states, the custom is for candidates who are defeated at the party convention to bow out of the race, though they are not required to do so, leaving the primary effectively a formality. Conversely, some states conduct conventions after the primary, making the nominating convention a formality.
4. ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch forced into primary fight," April 21, 2012
5. ↑ National Records and Archives Administration, "Historical election results," accessed June 21, 2016
6. ↑ Utah.gov, "About the Utah state treasurer," accessed October 28, 2011

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