Utah Attorney General election, 2014

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Utah Attorney General Special Election

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Primary Date:
June 24, 2014

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General Election Date:
November 4, 2014

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November 4 Election Winner:
Sean D. Reyes
Incumbent prior to election:
Sean D. Reyes

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Utah Attorney General Special Election Attorney General

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## Contents

* 1 Candidates
* 1.1 General election
* 2 Results
* 2.1 General election
* 3 Race background
* 3.1 Special election circumstances
* 4 Debates
* 4.1 October 1 debate
* 5 Campaign finance
* 6 Past elections
* 6.1 2012
* 6.2 2008
* 6.3 2004
* 6.4 2000
* 7 Voter turnout
* 8 Key deadlines
* 9 Ballotpedia reports
* 10 Recent news
* 11 See also
* 12 External links
* 13 Footnotes

The Utah Attorney General special election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Sean D. Reyes (R) was appointed in December 2013 by Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert. Reyes won in a special election against Democratic candidate Charles Stormont, Libertarian Party candidate Andrew McCullough, Constitution Party candidate Gregory Hansen and independent candidate Leslie Curtis. Reyes won election to the remaining two years of Swallow's term with a regular election scheduled for November 2016.

Republicans won the previous four races for attorney general by at least 18 percent, according to results in the past elections section. Reyes and Stormont argued issues including ethics, same-sex marriage and the state's anti-polygamy law during a debate in October as summarized in the debates section.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Utah, state law allows parties to decide who may vote in their primaries.[1] Check Vote.Utah.gov for details about upcoming elections.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

## Candidates[edit]

#### General election[edit]

Sean Reyes \- Incumbent [2]
Charles Stormont \- Lawyer in the Utah Attorney General's office[3]
Andrew McCullough \- Libertarian candidate[3]
Gregory Hansen \- Constitution Party candidate[2]
Leslie Curtis \- American Independent Party candidate[2]

## Results[edit]

### General election[edit]

Attorney General of Utah, 2014

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Sean Reyes Incumbent | 63.1% | 355,275
| Democratic  |  Charles Stormont | 27% | 151,967
| Libertarian  |  Andrew McCullough | 4% | 22,333
| Constitution  |  Gregory Hansen | 3.3% | 18,722
| Independent  |  Leslie Curtis | 2.7% | 15,108
Total Votes | 563,405
Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor

## Race background[edit]

##### Special election circumstances[edit]

See also: John Swallow's controversies

In 2012, Deputy Attorney General John Swallow was elected state attorney general. Due to ethics and elections law investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Utah State Legislature, Swallow resigned on December 3, 2013.

In his place, the governor appointed Republican Sean Reyes, who took office on December 30, 2013. Reyes came second behind Swallow in the 2012 Republican primary for attorney general. Reyes ran to retain the office in a special election on November 4, 2014. He ran unopposed for the nomination.

Reyes's major-party opposition in November was Democrat Charles Stormont, a lawyer in the Utah Attorney General's office. Three other candidates faced Reyes and Stormont in November: Libertarian Andrew McCullough, Constitution Party candidate Gregory Hansen and American Independent Party candidate Leslie Curtis. Reyes won election to the remaining two years of Swallow's term.

## Debates[edit]

##### October 1 debate[edit]

Sean Reyes (R) and Charles Stormont (D) discussed the office's recent past, same-sex marriage and polygamy during a debate in Provo. Reyes said that when he was appointed to the attorney general's office, he "inherited an office racked with scandal and controversy." His solutions to these issues included improving salaries and requiring supervisors to participate in detailed evaluations to ensure integrity. Stormont countered that the office remained largely the same as when John Swallow held the office and promoted an ethics hotline that would allow citizens to blow the whistle on corrupt elected officials. Both candidates agreed on campaign finance limits and that they would not take campaign donations from sources that could create conflicts of interest.[4]

Reyes and Stormont also discussed their stances on defending the state's anti-polygamy law and same-sex marriage ban. Reyes argued that the state needed to appeal a federal court's decision to strike down part of an anti-polygamy law, while Stormont called an appeal a waste of money over a law that is largely unenforced. Stormont also argued that the state should not waste time appealing higher court decisions on gay marriage on the expectation the U.S. Supreme Court reject any appeal. Reyes stated that the attorney general has a duty to defend the state's laws in higher court.[4]

## Campaign finance[edit]

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $624,376 during the election. This information was last updated on March 27, 2015.[5]

Campaign Contribution Totals

Candidate | Office | Result | Contributions
Sean Reyes | Utah Attorney General |  | $466,215
Charles Stormont | Utah Attorney General |  | $151,355
Andrew McCullough | Utah Attorney General |  | $6,417
Gregory Hansen | Utah Attorney General |  | $355
Leslie Curtis | Utah Attorney General |  | $34
Grand Total Raised | $624,376

## Past elections[edit]

### 2012[edit]

Attorney General of Utah General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  |  Dee W. Smith  | 30.1% | 269,893
| Republican  | John Swallow | 64.6% | 579,118
| Libertarian  |  W. Andrew McCullough  | 5.3% | 47,347
Total Votes | 896,358
Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor (dead link)

### 2008[edit]

Attorney General, 2008

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Mark Shurtleff Incumbent | 69.3% | 650,147
| Democratic  |  Gregory G. Skordas  | 26.6% | 249,492
| Libertarian  |  W. Andrew McCullough  | 4.1% | 38,321
Total Votes | 937,960

### 2004[edit]

Attorney General, 2004

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Mark Shurtleff Incumbent | 68.5% | 607,393
| Democratic  |  Gregory G. Skordas  | 28.3% | 250,820
| Libertarian  |  W. Andrew McCullough  | 3.2% | 28,202
Total Votes | 886,415

### 2000[edit]

Attorney General, 2000

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Mark Shurtleff | 57.5% | 435,998
| Democratic  |  Reed. M Richards  | 39.5% | 299,683
| Libertarian  |  W. Andrew McCullough  | 2.9% | 22,273
Total Votes | 757,954

## Voter turnout[edit]

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[6] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[7]

Quick facts

* According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[8]

* Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.

* The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).

* Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.

* Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[9]

Voter turnout rates, 2014

State  | Total votes counted  | % voter eligible population  | Top statewide office up for election  | Size of lead (Raw votes)  | Size of lead (%)
Alabama | 1,191,274 | 33.2 | Governor | 320,319 | 27.2
Alaska | 285,431 | 54.4 | Governor | 4,004 | 1.6
Arizona | 1,537,671 | 34.1 | Governor | 143,951 | 12.5
Arkansas | 852,642 | 40.1 | Governor | 118,664 | 14.0
California | 7,513,972 | 30.8 | Governor | 1,065,748 | 17.8
Colorado | 2,080,071 | 54.5 | Governor | 50,395 | 2.4
Connecticut | 1,096,509 | 42.5 | Governor | 26,603 | 2.5
Delaware | 234,038 | 34.4 | Attorney General | 31,155 | 13.6
District of Columbia | 177,176 | 35.8 | Mayor | 27,934 | 19.0
Florida | 6,026,802 | 43.3 | Governor | 66,127 | 1.1
Georgia | 2,596,947 | 38.5 | Governor | 202,685 | 8.0
Hawaii | 369,554 | 36.5 | Governor | 45,323 | 12.4
Idaho | 445,307 | 39.6 | Governor | 65,852 | 14.9
Illinois | 3,680,417 | 40.9 | Governor | 171,900 | 4.9
Indiana | 1,387,622 | 28.8 | Secretary of State | 234,978 | 17.8
Iowa | 1,142,284 | 50.2 | Governor | 245,548 | 21.8
Kansas | 887,023 | 43.4 | Governor | 33,052 | 3.9
Kentucky | 1,435,868 | 44.0 | U.S. Senate | 222,096 | 15.5
Louisiana | 1,472,039 | 43.8 | U.S. Senate | 16,401 | 1.1
Maine | 616,996 | 58.5 | Governor | 29,820 | 4.9
Maryland | 1,733,177 | 41.5 | Governor | 88,648 | 6.1
Massachusetts | 2,186,789 | 44.6 | Governor | 40,361 | 1.9
Michigan | 3,188,956 | 43.2 | Governor | 129,547 | 4.3
Minnesota | 1,992,613 | 50.5 | Governor | 109,776 | 5.6
Mississippi | 631,858 | 28.9 | U.S. Senate | 141,234 | 33.0
Missouri | 1,426,303 | 31.8 | Auditor | 684,074 | 53.6
Montana | 373,831 | 47.3 | U.S. Senate | 65,262 | 17.9
Nebraska | 552,115 | 41.5 | Governor | 97,678 | 18.7
Nevada | 547,349 | 29.0 | Governor | 255,793 | 46.7
New Hampshire | 495,565 | 48.4 | Governor | 24,924 | 5.2
New Jersey | 1,955,042 | 32.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A
New Mexico | 512,805 | 35.7 | Governor | 73,868 | 14.6
New York | 3,930,310 | 29.0 | Governor | 476,252 | 13.4
North Carolina | 2,939,767 | 41.2 | U.S. Senate | 48,511 | 1.7
North Dakota | 255,128 | 45.0 | U.S. House At-large seat | 42,214 | 17.1
Ohio | 3,149,876 | 36.2 | Governor | 933,235 | 30.9
Oklahoma | 824,831 | 29.8 | Governor | 122,060 | 14.7
Oregon | 1,541,782 | 53.5 | Governor | 59,029 | 4.5
Pennsylvania | 3,495,866 | 36.0 | Governor | 339,261 | 9.8
Rhode Island | 329,212 | 42.2 | Governor | 14,346 | 4.5
South Carolina | 1,261,611 | 35.2 | Governor | 179,089 | 14.6
South Dakota | 282,291 | 44.9 | Governor | 124,865 | 45.1
Tennessee | 1,374,065 | 28.6 | Governor | 642,214 | 47.5
Texas | 4,727,208 | 28.3 | Governor | 957,973 | 20.4
Utah | 577,973 | 30.2 | Attorney General | 173,819 | 35.2
Vermont | 193,087 | 38.8 | Governor | 2,095 | 1.1
Virginia | 2,194,346 | 36.6 | U.S. Senate | 16,727 | 0.8
Washington | 2,123,901 | 43.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A
West Virginia | 451,498 | 31.2 | U.S. Senate | 124,667 | 27.6
Wisconsin | 2,410,314 | 56.5 | Governor | 137,607 | 5.7
Wyoming | 168,390 | 39.3 | Governor | 52,703 | 33.6

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

## Key deadlines[edit]

Deadline  | Event

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March 20, 2014 | Primary filing deadline
May 30, 2014 | Third-party filing deadline
June 24, 2014 | Primary election
September 5, 2014 | Write-in candidate filing deadline
November 4, 2014 | General election
November 24, 2014 | State board of canvassers meeting
January 5, 2015 | Inauguration day for state executives elected in November

## Ballotpedia reports[edit]

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

* Filing deadline report: Utah Attorney General special election

## Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Utah + attorney + general + elections"

Utah Attorney General elections News Feed

## See also[edit]

* Utah Attorney General
* State executive official elections, 2014

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

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* Office of the Attorney General of Utah

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Utah State Legislature, "Utah Code § 20A-9-403. Regular primary elections." accessed May 13, 2025
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Utah Lieutenant Governor: Elections, "2014 Candidate Filings," March 20, 2014
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 KUER, "Democrat Charles Stormont to Run for Attorney General," March 20, 2014
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Daily Journal, "Candidates for Utah attorney general debate ethics, defense of gay marriage ban," October 1, 2014
5. ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Utah 2014 elections," accessed March 27, 2015
6. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
7. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
8. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
9. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014

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