Utah House of Representatives elections, 2016

Utah 2016 elections

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2016 Utah
House Elections

Primary| June 28, 2016
General| November 8, 2016
2016 Election Results

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2016 Elections

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All 75 seats in the Utah House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Democrats gained three seats in the November 2016 general election.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Republicans fielded unopposed candidates in 22 districts, while Democrats had six unchallenged candidates.

* There were ten open seats—all Republican—in 2016. Seven of those seats had general election competition.

* If Democrats were to make any gains, it would have been in the 47 districts that had general election competition between two major party candidates; only five seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.[1]

* Republicans held a state government trifecta heading into the election.

## Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 1.1 Majority control
* 2 Retired incumbents
* 3 2016 election competitiveness
* 4 Races we watched
* 4.1 Primary contests
* 5 List of candidates
* 6 General election
* 7 Primary election
* 7.1 Candidates out in convention
* 7.2 Margins of victory
* 7.3 Important dates and deadlines
* 7.4 Competitiveness
* 7.4.1 Candidates unopposed by a major party
* 7.4.2 Primary challenges
* 7.4.3 Retired incumbents
* 7.4.4 Results from 2014
* 7.4.5 Historical context
* 7.5 Campaign contributions
* 7.5.1 State comparison
* 7.6 Qualifications
* 7.7 See also
* 7.8 External links
* 7.9 Footnotes

## Introduction[edit]

Elections for the Utah House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 17, 2016.

### Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Utah House of Representatives:

Utah House of Representatives

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  12  |  13
|  Republican Party |  63 |  62
Total |  75 |  75

## Retired incumbents[edit]

The following incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Current Office

|
|

David Lifferth |  Republican | House District 2
Jack Draxler |  Republican | House District 3
Jake Anderegg |  Republican | House District 6
Brad Dee |  Republican | House District 11
Curtis Oda |  Republican | House District 14
Johnny Anderson |  Republican | House District 34
Rich Cunningham |  Republican | House District 50
Kraig Powell |  Republican | House District 54
Kay McIff |  Republican | House District 70
Don Ipson |  Republican | House District 75

* Note: Don Ipson (R-75) was appointed to the state Senate on September 21, 2016. Walt Brooks (R) was appointed to the seat to fill Ipson's remaining term.

* Note: Incumbent Kraig Powell (R) originally filed for re-election, but dropped out of the race on April 20, 2016.[2]

* Note: Incumbent Fred Cox (R) and incumbent Earl Tanner (R) did not receive the necessary delegates in the Republican convention and were removed from the ballot.

## 2016 election competitiveness[edit]

Utah sees a decline in general election competition.

Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well Utah performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »

* In the Utah State Senate, there were 5 Democratic incumbents and 24 Republican incumbents. No incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. There were five incumbents who faced challenges in the Republican primary.

* In the House, there were 12 Democratic incumbents and 63 Republican incumbents. Three state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were 16 incumbents who faced challenges in the Republican primary.

* Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.

* The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.

* More details on electoral competitiveness in Utah can be found below.

## Races we watched[edit]

Ballotpedia identified five notable Utah state primary races in 2016, three of which were state House contests.

Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Utah races »

### Primary contests[edit]

State House District 34 (R)

Two Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
☑ Macade Jensen ☐ Jack P. Castellanos

State House District 53 (R)

The Republican incumbent faced a primary challenger.
☐ Melvin Brown (Inc.) ☑ Logan Wilde

State House District 75 (R)

Two Republicans competed for an open seat vacated by the Republican incumbent.
☑ Walt Brooks ☐ Steven D. Kemp

## List of candidates[edit]

# General election[edit]

2016 Utah House general election candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1  |  No candidate |  Scott Sandall: 11,268 (I) a |  Sherry Phipps: 2,333 (Constitution)
2  |  No candidate |  Jefferson Moss a |
3  |  No candidate |  Val Potter a |
4  |  No candidate |  Edward Redd (I) a |
5  |  David L. Clark: 3,059  |  Curt Webb: 12,522 (I) a |
6  |  Donna Gibbons: 2,673  |  Cory Maloy: 12,776 a |  Aaron Davis: 888 (L)
7  |  Floyd Handley: 4,363  |  Justin Fawson: 10,182 (I) a |
8  |  Matthew Frandsen: 4,563  |  Gage Froerer: 8,923 (I) a |
9  |  Kathie Darby: 4,426  |  Jeremy Peterson: 5,561 (I) a |
10  |  Jesse Garcia: 4,252  |  Dixon M. Pitcher: 6,228 (I) a |  Derryck Gordon: 788 (L)
11  |  Amy Morgan: 5,161  |  Kelly Miles: 9,521 a |
12  |  No candidate |  Mike Schultz (I) a |
13  |  Bob Buckles: 3,706  |  Paul Ray: 9,843 (I) a |
14  |  No candidate |  Karianne Lisonbee a |
15  |  Rich Miller: 3,361  |  Brad R. Wilson: 13,864 (I) a |
16  |  Tiffany Kopp: 3,383  |  Stephen Handy: 9,778 (I) a |  Brent Zimmerman: 1,214 (L)
17  |  Christine Stenquist: 4,775  |  Stewart Barlow: 12,716 (I) a |
18  |  No candidate |  Timothy Hawkes (I) a |
19  |  Kurt Weiland: 5,154  |  Raymond Ward: 13,239 (I) a |
20  |  Jon Marsh: 4,686  |  Becky Edwards: 12,223 (I) a |
21  |  Rick Pollock: 4,375  |  Douglas Sagers: 7,912 (I) a |
22  |  Sue Duckworth: 5,411 (I) a |  Jamie White: 5,002  |
23  |  Sandra Hollins: 5,464 (I) a |  Scott Hawkins: 2,458  |
24  |  Rebecca Chavez-Houck (I) a |  No candidate |
25  |  Joel Briscoe (I) a |  No candidate |
26  |  Angela Romero (I) a |  No candidate |
27  |  No candidate |  Mike Kennedy (I) a |
28  |  Brian King (I) a |  No candidate |
29  |  Angela Urrea: 2,751  |  Lee B. Perry: 13,315 (I) a |
30  |  Frank Bedolla: 4,441  |  Mike Winder: 6,306 a |
31  |  Elizabeth Weight: 4,234 a |  Sophia DiCaro: 3,994 (I) |
32  |  Suzanne Harrison: 8,534  |  LaVar Christensen: 8,537 (I) a |
33  |  Peter Tomala: 4,160  |  Craig Hall: 4,279 (I) a |
34  |  Karen Kwan: 6,558 a |  Macade Jensen: 5,485  |
35  |  Mark Wheatley: 6,186 (I) a |  Patricia Phaklides: 2,841  |  Chelsea Travis: 941 (L)
36  |  Patrice Arent (I) a |  No candidate |
37  |  Carol Moss: 10,637 (I) a |  Kris Kimball: 7,186  |
38  |  Charles Henderson: 4,049  |  Eric Hutchings: 4,971 (I) a |
39  |  Paul R. Schulte: 5,342  |  Jim Dunnigan: 7,081 (I) a |
40  |  Lynn Hemingway: 10,404 (I) a |  Joseph F. Breault: 5,058  |
41  |  Chad S. Harrington: 3,927  |  Dan McCay: 13,291 (I) a |
42  |  No candidate |  Kim Coleman (I) a |
43  |  Edgar Harwood: 4,674  |  Adam Gardiner: 7,511 a |
44  |  Christine Passey: 7,267  |  Bruce Cutler: 7,544 (I) a |
45  |  Nikki Cunard: 6,842  |  Steven Eliason: 8,390 (I) a |
46  |  Marie Poulson: 12,547 (I) a |  No candidate |  Lee Anne Walker: 3,932 (L)
47  |  John Rendell: 5,263  |  Ken Ivory: 7,345 (I) a |
48  |  No candidate |  Keven Stratton (I) a |
49  |  Zach Robinson: 8,134  |  Robert Spendlove: 10,901 (I) a |
50  |  Patty Rich: 5,121  |  Susan Pulsipher: 15,538 a |
51  |  Kyle Waters: 5,007  |  Gregory Hughes: 10,146 (I) a |
52  |  Garr K. Smith: 4,417  |  John Knotwell: 13,020 (I) a |
53  |  Cole R. Capener: 5,993  |  Logan Wilde: 13,111 a |
54  |  Rudi Kohler: 9,163  |  Tim Quinn: 10,042 a |
55  |  Wayne Stevens: 1,534  |  Scott H. Chew: 12,666 (I) a |
56  |  No candidate |  Kay Christofferson (I) a |
57  |  No candidate |  Brian Greene (I) a |
58  |  No candidate |  Derrin Owens (I) a |
59  |  Rachel Nelson: 2,861  |  Val Peterson: 11,065 (I) a |
60  |  Brooke Swallow-Fenton: 2,738  |  Bradley Daw: 10,283 (I) a |  Tommy Williams: 541 (Independent American)
61  |  No candidate |  Keith Grover (I) a |
62  |  No candidate |  Jon Stanard (I) a |
63  |  Nathan Smith Jones: 1,428  |  Dean Sanpei: 5,437 (I) a |
64  |  No candidate |  Norm Thurston (I) a |
65  |  No candidate |  Francis Gibson (I) a |
66  |  No candidate |  Mike McKell (I) a |
67  |  No candidate |  Marc Roberts (I) a |
68  |  Cindee Beard: 2,819  |  Merrill Nelson: 10,714 (I) a |  Kirk Pearson: 1,597 (Constitution)
69  |  Brad King: 6,610 (I) |  Christine Watkins: 6,976 a |
70  |  William J. Groff: 3,237  |  Carl R. Albrecht: 11,764 a |
71  |  Chuck Goode: 2,892  |  Brad Last: 12,844 (I) a |
72  |  No candidate |  John Westwood (I) a |
73  |  Ty Markham: 5,043  |  Michael Noel: 10,193 (I) a |
74  |  No candidate |  Lowry Snow (I) a |
75  |  No candidate |  Walt Brooks (I) a |
|  |  |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

# Primary election[edit]

2016 Utah House primary candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1 | No candidate | Scott Sandall (I) a | Sherry Phipps (Constitution) a
2 | No candidate | Jefferson Moss a |
3 | No candidate | Val Potter a |
4 | No candidate | Edward Redd (I) a |
5 | David L. Clark a | Curt Webb (I) a |
6 | Donna Gibbons a | Mike Brenny: 1,039
Cory Maloy: 1,563 a | Aaron Davis (L) a
7 | Floyd Handley a | Justin Fawson (I) a |
8 | Matthew Frandsen a | Gage Froerer (I) a |
9 | Kathie Darby a | Jeremy Peterson (I) a |
10 | Jesse Garcia a | Dixon M. Pitcher (I) a | Derryck Gordon (L) a
11 | Amy Morgan a | Kelly Miles a |
12 | No candidate | Mike Schultz (I) a |
13 | Bob Buckles a | Paul Ray (I) a |
14 | Kathleen Villanueva a | Karianne Lisonbee a |
15 | Rich Miller a | Brad R. Wilson (I) a |
16 | Tiffany Kopp a | Stephen Handy (I) a | Brent Zimmerman (L) a
17 | Christine Stenquist a | Stewart Barlow (I) a |
18 | No candidate | Timothy Hawkes (I) a |
19 | Kurt Weiland a | Raymond Ward (I) a |
20 | Jon Marsh a | Becky Edwards: 2,487 (I) a
Glen Jenkins: 2,291 |
21 | Rick Pollock a | Douglas Sagers (I) a |
22 | Sue Duckworth (I) a | Jamie White a |
23 | Sandra Hollins (I) a | Scott Hawkins a |
24 | Rebecca Chavez-Houck (I) a | No candidate |
25 | Joel Briscoe (I) a | No candidate |
26 | Angela Romero (I) a | No candidate |
27 | No candidate | Mike Kennedy (I) a |
28 | Brian King (I) a | No candidate |
29 | Angela Urrea a | Lee B. Perry (I) a |
30 | Frank Bedolla a | Mike Winder a |
31 | Elizabeth Weight a | Sophia DiCaro (I) a |
32 | Suzanne Harrison a | LaVar Christensen (I) a |
33 | Peter Tomala a | Craig Hall (I) a |
34 | Karen Kwan a | Macade Jensen: 1,465 a
Jack P. Castellanos: 723 |
35 | Mark Wheatley (I) a | Patricia Phaklides a | Chelsea Travis (L) a
36 | Patrice Arent (I) a | No candidate |
37 | Carol Moss (I) a | Kris Kimball a |
38 | Charles Henderson a | Eric Hutchings (I) a |
39 | Paul R. Schulte a | Jim Dunnigan (I) a |
40 | Lynn Hemingway (I) a | Joseph F. Breault a |
41 | Chad S. Harrington a | Dan McCay (I) a |
42 | No candidate | Kim Coleman (I) a |
43 | Edgar Harwood a | Adam Gardiner a |
44 | Christine Passey a | Bruce Cutler (I) a |
45 | Nikki Cunard a | Steven Eliason (I) a |
46 | Marie Poulson (I) a | No candidate | Lee Anne Walker (L) a
47 | John Rendell a | Ken Ivory (I) a |
48 | No candidate | Keven Stratton (I) a | Clinton Rhinehart (Independent American) a
49 | Zach Robinson a | Robert Spendlove (I) a |
50 | Patty Rich a | Susan Pulsipher a |
51 | Kyle Waters a | Gregory Hughes (I) a |
52 | Garr K. Smith a | John Knotwell (I) a |
53 | Cole R. Capener a | Melvin Brown: 2,483 (I)
Logan Wilde: 2,492 a |
54 | Rudi Kohler a | Tim Quinn a |
55 | Wayne Stevens a | Scott H. Chew (I) a |
56 | No candidate | Kay Christofferson (I) a |
57 | No candidate | Xani Haynie: 1,556
Brian Greene: 1,757 (I) a |
58 | No candidate | Derrin Owens (I) a |
59 | Rachel Nelson a | Val Peterson (I) a |
60 | Brooke Swallow-Fenton a | Bradley Daw (I) a | Tommy Williams (Independent American) a
61 | No candidate | Keith Grover (I) a |
62 | No candidate | Jon Stanard (I) a |
63 | Nathan Smith Jones a | Dean Sanpei (I) a |
64 | No candidate | Norm Thurston (I) a |
65 | No candidate | Francis Gibson (I) a |
66 | No candidate | Mike McKell (I) a |
67 | No candidate | Marc Roberts: 1,654 (I) a
Richard Moore: 966 |
68 | Cindee Beard a | Merrill Nelson (I) a | Kirk Pearson (Constitution) a
69 | Brad King (I) a | Christine Watkins a |
70 | William J. Groff a | Carl R. Albrecht a |
71 | Chuck Goode a | Brad Last (I) a |
72 | No candidate | John Westwood (I) a |
73 | Ty Markham a | Michael Noel (I) a |
74 | No candidate | Lowry Snow (I) a |
75 | No candidate | Walt Brooks: 2,236 a
Steven D. Kemp: 1,667 |
|  |  |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

### Candidates out in convention[edit]

The following candidates were defeated in the Republican and Democratic conventions:

* Dani Hartvigsen (R), District 2
* Donna Burnham (R), District 2
* Matthew Bell (R), District 11
* Dan Pitcher (R), District 14
* Ronald Padawer (D), District 20
* Erin Pugmire (R), District 22
* Darin Mann (D), District 24
* Jacob Nielsen (R), District 27
* James Mackley (R), District 29
* Incumbent Fred Cox (R), District 30
* Mark Hammond (D), District 32
* Aubrey Lucas (D), District 37
* Alexis Hall (D), District 40
* Michael T. Morrise (R), District 40
* Bevan Weed (R), District 41
* Scott Thorell (D), District 43

* Incumbent Earl Tanner (R), District 43
* John Jackson (D), District 44
* Shala Weaver (R), District 44
* Stacy Michael Norton (R), District 47
* Louise Edington (D), District 49
* Louis Welch (R), District 50
* Michael Swensen (R), District 52
* Seth R. Winterton (R), District 53
* Howard Stone (R), District 61
* Neil Mitchell (R), District 64
* Julie Blaney (R), District 67
* Jerry Anderson (R), District 69
* Hayven W. Dunn (R), District 70
* R. Glenn Stoneman (R), District 70
* Slade R. Hughes (R), District 75

|

## Margins of victory[edit]

The average margin of victory for contested races in the Utah House of Representatives in 2016 was higher than the national average. Out of 75 races in the Utah House of Representatives in 2016, 49 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 34.5 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[3]

Republican candidates in the Utah House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 62 races. In the 41 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 36.5 percent. Democrats won 13 races in 2016. In the eight races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 24.2 percent.

More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Eight of the 49 contested races in 2016—16.3 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Seven races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won five races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.

Utah House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 22 | D | 3.9 percent
District 31 | D | 2.9 percent
District 32 | R | 0.02 percent
District 33 | R | 1.4 percent
District 34 | D | 8.9 percent
District 44 | R | 1.9 percent
District 54 | R | 4.6 percent
District 69 | R | 2.7 percent
The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Utah House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was higher than the national average. 61 incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 38 winning Utah House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 36.7 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.

Republican incumbents in the Utah House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic incumbents. 50 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 32 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 37.9 percent. 11 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the six races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 30.3 percent.

Utah House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party | Elections won | Average margin of victory[4] | Races with incumbent victories | Average margin of victory for incumbents[4] | Unopposed incumbents | Unopposed races | Percent unopposed
Democratic | 13 | 24.2 percent | 11 | 30.3 percent | 5 | 5 | 38.5 percent
Republican | 62 | 36.5 percent | 50 | 37.9 percent | 18 | 21 | 33.9 percent
Total | 75 | 34.5 percent | 61 | 36.7 percent | 23 | 26 | 34.7 percent

Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Utah House of Representatives districts in 2016.

Utah House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory by District

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 1 | R | 65.7 percent
District 2 | R | Unopposed
District 3 | R | Unopposed
District 4 | R | Unopposed
District 5 | R | 60.7 percent
District 6 | R | 61.8 percent
District 7 | R | 40.0 percent
District 8 | R | 32.3 percent
District 9 | R | 11.4 percent
District 10 | R | 17.5 percent
District 11 | R | 29.7 percent
District 12 | R | Unopposed
District 13 | R | 45.3 percent
District 14 | R | Unopposed
District 15 | R | 61.0 percent
District 16 | R | 44.5 percent
District 17 | R | 45.4 percent
District 18 | R | Unopposed
District 19 | R | 44.0 percent
District 20 | R | 44.6 percent
District 21 | R | 28.8 percent
District 22 | D | 3.9 percent
District 23 | D | 37.9 percent
District 24 | D | Unopposed
District 25 | D | Unopposed
District 26 | D | Unopposed
District 27 | R | Unopposed
District 28 | D | Unopposed
District 29 | R | 65.8 percent
District 30 | R | 17.4 percent
District 31 | D | 2.9 percent
District 32 | R | 0.0 percent
District 33 | R | 1.4 percent
District 34 | D | 8.9 percent
District 35 | D | 33.6 percent
District 36 | D | Unopposed
District 37 | D | 19.4 percent
District 38 | R | 10.2 percent
District 39 | R | 14.0 percent
District 40 | D | 34.6 percent
District 41 | R | 54.4 percent
District 42 | R | Unopposed
District 43 | R | 23.3 percent
District 44 | R | 1.9 percent
District 45 | R | 10.2 percent
District 46 | D | 52.3 percent
District 47 | R | 16.5 percent
District 48 | R | Unopposed
District 49 | R | 14.5 percent
District 50 | R | 50.4 percent
District 51 | R | 33.9 percent
District 52 | R | 49.3 percent
District 53 | R | 37.3 percent
District 54 | R | 4.6 percent
District 55 | R | 78.4 percent
District 56 | R | Unopposed
District 57 | R | Unopposed
District 58 | R | Unopposed
District 59 | R | 58.9 percent
District 60 | R | 55.6 percent
District 61 | R | Unopposed
District 62 | R | Unopposed
District 63 | R | 58.4 percent
District 64 | R | Unopposed
District 65 | R | Unopposed
District 66 | R | Unopposed
District 67 | R | Unopposed
District 68 | R | 52.2 percent
District 69 | R | 2.7 percent
District 70 | R | 56.8 percent
District 71 | R | 63.2 percent
District 72 | R | Unopposed
District 73 | R | 33.8 percent
District 74 | R | Unopposed
District 75 | R | Unopposed

## Important dates and deadlines[edit]

See also: Utah elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Utah in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016

Deadline  |  Event type  |  Event description
January 4, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Declaration of intent to gather signatures period opens
March 11, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Declaration of candidacy period opens
March 17, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Declaration of candidacy and intent to gather signature period closes
June 21, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Candidate financial disclosure report due
June 28, 2016 | Election date  |  Primary election
September 9, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Final day for a write-in candidate to declare candidacy
September 30, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Candidate financial disclosure report due
November 1, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Candidate financial disclosure report due
November 8, 2016 | Election date  |  General election
January 10, 2017 | Campaign finance  |  Candidate financial disclosure report due
Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor, "2016 Election Information," accessed January 11, 2016

## Competitiveness[edit]

### Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

In 28 (37.3%) of the 75 districts up for election, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of six Democrats and 22 Republicans were guaranteed election in November barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 47 (62.6%) of the 75 districts up for election.

### Primary challenges[edit]

A total of 18 incumbents faced primary competition on June 28. Nine incumbents did not seek re-election and another 48 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.

### Retired incumbents[edit]

Nine incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 66 (88%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, all Republicans, can be found above. One other incumbent, Don Ipson (R), resigned his term early after he was appointed to the state Senate. Walt Brooks (R) was appointed to the seat on September 21, 2016.

### Results from 2014[edit]

See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

Overall Competitiveness

|  2010  |  2012  |  2014
Competitiveness Index  | 36.2  | 35.8  | 31.4
% Open Seats  | 18.6%  | 21.2%  | 17.0%
% Incumbent with primary challenge  | 22.7%  | 24.6%  | 20.1%
% Candidates with major party opposition  | 67.3%  | 61.7%  | 57.0%

The following table details Utah's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

Utah Legislature 2014 Competitiveness

% Open Seats  |  % Incumbent with primary challenge  |  % Candidates with major party opposition  |  Competitiveness Index  |  Overall rank
13.5%  |  24.7%  |  79.8%  |  39.3  |  11

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Utah in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[5]

Utah House of Representatives Donations

Year  | Candidates  | Amount
2014  |  200  |  $4,198,290
2012  |  245  |  $3,724,836
2010  |  209  |  $3,728,166
2008  |  236  |  $3,534,188
2006  |  175  |  $3,283,158

### State comparison[edit]

The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Utah, at $20,991 per candidate, is ranked 35 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[5][6]

## Qualifications[edit]

To be eligible to serve in the Utah House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[7]

* A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
* 25 years old at the filing deadline time
* A three-year resident of Utah at the filing deadline time
* A resident for 6 months of the senate district from which elected at the filing deadline time
* No person holding any public office of profit or trust under authority of the United States, or of this State, can be a member of the state senate, provided, that appointments in the State Militia, and the offices of notary public, justice of the peace, United States commissioner, and postmaster of the fourth class, shall not, within the meaning of this section, be considered offices of profit or trust.
* A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:

* A U.S. citizen
* A resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the next election
* At least 18 years old by the next election
* His or her principal place of residence is in a specific voting precinct in Utah.

## See also[edit]

* Utah House of Representatives
* Utah State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2016

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* 2016 Candidate filings

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
2. ↑ deseretnews.com, "Rep. Kraig Powell ends campaign to avoid 'divisiveness'," accessed April 27, 2016
3. ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Excludes unopposed elections
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Utah," accessed July 28, 2015
6. ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
7. ↑ Qualifications for running for Utah Senate

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