Reyes and Leavitt advanced from the April 25 state Republican Party convention, where Reyes received 57.5% of the vote to Leavitt's 42.5%. Former candidate John Swallow was eliminated from the running at the convention.[1]
Reyes became attorney general in 2013. He ran on his record, saying he protected children, teens, people's private online data, and family finances. He said Leavitt's focus on criminal justice reform as the most important issue showed he was not qualified to hold the office. Reyes also said, "My opponent talks about me being aggressive. I am aggressive on crime. But there's a reason people like Sen. Mike Lee have said that I've done more for criminal justice reform than any other Republican attorney general in the United States."[2]
Leavitt was elected as Utah County attorney in 2018. He previously served as advisor to the National Institute of Justice for Moldova and to the Supreme Court of Ukraine. Leavitt said criminal justice reform should be the focus of the office and that he would work to reduce the number of plea bargains and increase the number of jury trials. He said Reyes "believes in the 'lock 'em up' mentality that is destroying all of us. And I will say, 'Punishment, yes; retribution, no.' It's about redemption."[2]
The Cook Political Report rated the general election Solid Republican as of June 12, 2020.[3]
This page focuses on Utah's Republican Attorney General primary. For more in-depth information on Utah's Democratic Attorney General primary and the general election, see the following pages:
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Utah modified its primary election process as follows:
Candidate filing procedures: Candidate and campaigns were allowed to deliver petition sheets to voters electronically. Voters were allowed to return signed petition sheets electronically or by mail.
Voting procedures: In-person Election Day voting, in-person early voting, and in-person voter registration in the primary election were cancelled.
Political party events: The Democratic Party of Utah canceled both its caucuses and its state convention. The Republican Party of Utah postponed caucuses and canceled its in-person state convention.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Election updates
June 7, 2020: A Suffolk University poll conducted on behalf of the Salt Lake Tribune found Reyes apparently leading Leavitt with 31% support to Leavitt's 26%. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.[4]
Republican Convention for Attorney General of Utah
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: David Leavitt in round 2 , and Sean D. Reyes in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Biography: Leavitt received an undergraduate degree and a law degree from Brigham Young University. He was a city attorney in Nephi and Fillmore. Leavitt served as a board member of the Utah Prosecution Council and of the Statewide Association of Prosecutors. He was advisor to the National Institute of Justice for Moldova from 2014 to 2018 and advisor to the Supreme Court of Ukraine from 2001 to 2009. Leavitt has practiced privately and operated the Leavitt Institute For International Development.
Key Messages
The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.
"I spent almost 30 years in the criminal justice system, 10 of those as a criminal defense attorney, 10 of those as an elected prosecutor, and I will tell you that our very liberties are at jeopardy. What qualifies for me to run is that I have seen the criminal justice system from every angle, as a prosecutor, as a defense attorney, and also as a reformer in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Ninety-nine times out of 100, prosecutors don't have to prove the allegations they make. That endangers our liberties, and I'm here to change that. I'm here to give power back to people, to reduce plea bargains, to increase the number of jury trials we have, and to return proper balance to government."
Biography: Reyes received an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from U.C. Berkeley. He practiced law at Parsons Behle & Latimer. Reyes was a member of the Utah State Bar Commission and the United States Congressional Commission. Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) appointed him to the State Judicial Nominating Commission for the Third Judicial District. Reyes also served on the Utah Republican Party State Central Committee and as president of the Utah Minority Bar.
Key Messages
The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.
"[F]or six-and-a-half years, I have stood watch over this state, protecting your kids and grandkids from child sex predators and traffickers and abusers, protecting your teens from street drugs and vaping and suicide, guarding your personal private data from online hackers and cybercriminals, and protecting your family finances from frauds and scams and schemes. I've teamed with the federal government to fight back against the opioid epidemic, against elder and senior abuse and school violence. And I have stood up to the federal government when it's chosen to try to exert more control over our lands and our lives and our liberties."
↑Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
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