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Utah Treasurer election, 2016
2020 →
← 2012
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 |
June 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
David Damschen (R) |
David Damschen (R) |
Governor and Lt. Governor Attorney General • Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor |
March 17, 2016 |
April 2016 |
June 28, 2016 |
September 9, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
January 2, 2017 |
Utah held an election for treasurer on November 8, 2016. Incumbent David Damschen (R) won election to a full term.
Candidates
Neil Hansen (D)
State rep. from 1999 to 2010
David Damschen (R)
Incumbent state treasurer since 2015
Richard Proctor (Constitution Party)
Retired economist
| Click show to see candidates defeated at the party conventions. | |||
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Results
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
Primary elections
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)
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
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
Campaign media
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
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Republicans
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Campaign finance
| 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
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
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
The incumbent was Republican David Damschen.
Qualifications
Article VII, Section 3 of the Utah Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
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- a qualified elector
- a resident of Utah for five years preceding election
- at least 25 years old
Authority
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
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
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
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
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
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.
State profile
| 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. **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
- 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
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Utah government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Utah Political Hub, "Merrill Cook running for Utah State Treasurer," November 6, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Voter Registration: Utah," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch forced into primary fight," April 21, 2012
- ↑ National Records and Archives Administration, "Historical election results," accessed June 21, 2016
- ↑ Utah.gov, "About the Utah state treasurer," accessed October 28, 2011
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