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Utah gubernatorial election, 2016

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Utah Gubernatorial and Lt. Gubernatorial Election
Primary Date:
June 28, 2016
General Election Date:
November 8, 2016
November Election Winner:
Gov. Gary Herbert (R)
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R)
Incumbent Prior to Election:
Gov. Gary Herbert (R)
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R)
State Executive Elections
Top Ballot
Governor/Lt. Governor
Attorney General
Down Ballot
Auditor • Treasurer

Utah held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 8, 2016. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) won re-election, with Lt. Governor Spencer Cox (R) as his running mate.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Incumbent Governor Gary Herbert failed to secure 60 percent of the votes at the Republican nominating convention against challenger and Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson (Utah), forcing him into a primary election.
  • Herbert defeated Johnson in the June 28 Republican primary by 44 percentage points. He faced businessman Mike Weinholtz (D) in the general election. At the time of the election, a Democrat had last held the governor’s office in Utah in 1985.
  • Herbert won re-election on November 8, 2016.

    • Overview

    Incumbent Governor Gary Herbert (R) assumed office in 2008 following Governor Jon Huntsman's (R) mid-term resignation to become the United States' ambassador to China. Herbert won a special election in 2010 to serve the remainder of Huntsman's term. In 2012, Herbert was re-elected to serve a full term.

    In Utah, major party candidates for state executive offices are nominated at party conventions. A primary election is only held if no candidate secures at least 60 percent of the vote at the convention. Jonathan Johnson (Utah) (R), a former CEO of Overstock.com, won 55 percent of the vote at the Republican state convention in April 2016. He was defeated by Herbert for the Republican nomination in the June 28 primary. Herbert defeated Weinholtz in the November 8, 2016, general election.

    Mike Weinholtz (D), a businessman who co-founded CHG Healthcare Services 1998, defeated Vaughn R. Cook (D) for the Democratic nomination at the May 2016 state Democratic convention.

    Herbert won the general election by a margin of approximately 38 percentage points.

    As noted below, this race was rated Safe Republican.


    Candidates and results

    Candidates

    In Utah, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected together on a joint ticket.

    Gary Herbert square.jpg

    Gary Herbert (R)
    Gubernatorial candidate
    Incumbent governor

    Spencer Cox square.jpeg

    Spencer Cox (R)
    Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
    Incumbent lieutenant governor

    Mike Weinholtz square.jpeg

    Mike Weinholtz (D)
    Gubernatorial candidate
    Healthcare executive

    Kim Bowman.jpg

    Kim Bowman (D)
    Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
    Attorney

    Brian Kamerath.jpg

    Brian Kamerath (Lib.)
    Gubernatorial candidate
    Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Utah

    Barry Short.jpg

    Barry Short (Lib.)
    Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
    Business owner

    Dell Schanze.jpeg

    Dell Schanze (IAP)
    Gubernatorial candidate
    Businessman

    Gregory Duerden.jpg

    Gregory Duerden (IAP)
    Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
    Businessman

    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

    L. S. Brown (write-in)
    Gubernatorial candidate
    Retired dentist

    Results

    General election

    Incumbents Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox defeated Mike Weinholtz and Kim Bowman, Brian Kamerath and Barry Short, Dell Schanze and Gregory Duerden, and L.S. Brown in the Utah governor and lieutenant governor election.

    Utah Governor, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox Incumbent 66.75% 750,828
         Democratic Mike Weinholtz and Kim Bowman 28.67% 322,462
         Libertarian Brian Kamerath and Barry Short 3.08% 34,687
         Independent American Party Dell Schanze and Gregory Duerden 1.51% 16,936
         Write-in L.S. Brown 0.00% 0
    Total Votes 1,124,913
    Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office-Elections

    Primary election

    Utah Republican primary for governor and lieutenant governor, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.pngGary Herbert and Spencer Cox (incumbents) 72.1% 165,678
    Jonathan Johnson (Utah) and Robyn Bagley 27.9% 63,978
    Total Votes 229,656
    Election results via Utah Secretary of State; all precincts reporting.

    About the primary

    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.[1]

    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.[2] 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.[3]

    Utah's primary elections took place on June 28, 2016. The Republican primary for governor was the only primary election on the ballot.

    Party control

    Utah Party Control: 1992-2024
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Thirty-three years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    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.[4] Since 2000, the Republican joint ticket for governor and lieutenant governor has won the general election by margins of no less than 10 and as high as 58 percent.

    Debates

    Republican primary debates

    Republican primary debate, April 11, 2016

    Republican gubernatorial candidates Jonathan Johnson (Utah) and incumbent Governor Gary Herbert debated on April 11, 2016. Johnson criticized Herbert's leadership abilities, while Herbert pointed to his successes while in office, including education reforms.

    The two also disagreed on how to manage an ongoing land dispute with the federal government, with Johnson pushing for a lawsuit against the federal government and Herbert cautioning against it.[5]

    Johnson repeatedly challenged Herbert to more debates, and while the governor was at first willing, his campaign manager later stated, "At this late stage in the calendar, the governor simply cannot cancel previously scheduled campaign events across the state in order to accommodate yet another debate."[6]

    Race tracking

    Race Ratings: Governor of Utah
    Race Tracker Race Ratings
    The Cook Political Report Safe Republican Safe Republican
    Governing Safe Republican Safe Republican
    Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Safe Republican Safe Republican
    Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Safe Republican Safe Republican
    Daily Kos Race Ratings Safe Republican Safe Republican
    Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

    Polls

    General election

    Gary Herbert v. Mike Weinholtz
    Poll Gary Herbert Mike WeinholtzMargin of errorSample size
    Monmouth
    (October 10-12, 2016)    		 63%30%+/-4.9403
    Public Policy Polling
    (August 14-19, 2016)    		 57%21%+/-3.11,018
    Utah Policy
    (July 18-August 8, 2016)    		 64%23%+/-3.3858
    Salt Lake Tribune
    (June 2-8, 2016)    		 55%34%+/-2.51,425
    Gravis
    (May 31-June 1, 2016)    		 56%29%+/-2.51,519
    AVERAGES 59% 27.4% +/-3.26 1,044.6
    Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Primary election

    Hypothetical match-ups



    Endorsements


    Campaign finance



    Other candidates

    Campaign media

    Click here to view campaign advertisements for this election.

    Declared candidates' campaign and social media sites: 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
    Vaughn R. Cook (D) Campaign website Facebook Twitter YouTube 
    Mike Weinholtz (D) Campaign website Facebook Twitter 

    		Republicans
    Gary Herbert (R) Campaign website Facebook Twitter 
    Nate Jensen (R) Campaign website 
    Jonathan Johnson (R) Campaign website Facebook Twitter YouTube 

     

    Libertarians

    Brian Kamerath (Lib.) Campaign website 
    Ken Larsen (Lib.) Facebook 

    Know of a candidate's campaign site not listed? Tell us!

    Recent news

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

    Utah gubernatorial election, 2016 - Google News

    Past elections

    2012

    Governor of Utah General Election, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton 27.7% 253,514
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGary Herbert and Greg Bell Incumbent 68.4% 624,678
         Libertarian Ken Larsen and Rob Latham 2.2% 19,956
         Constitution Kirk Pearson and Tim Alders 1.7% 15,548
    Total Votes 913,696
    Election results via State of Utah



    Race background

    Key election dates
    Filing deadline:
    March 17, 2016
    Nominating conventions:
    April 2016Republican Party/May 2016Democratic Party
    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

    Candidates

    Some political observers had suggested that former Congressman Jim Matheson (D) might run for governor in 2016. During his tenure, Matheson was a popular congressman who won election seven times in a row. He decided not to run for re-election in 2014 and entered the private sector instead. Despite his popularity, polls suggested that Matheson would have had an uphill battle in a race against incumbent Gov. Herbert.[7][8] He ultimately did not file to run for the office. Vaughn R. Cook (D), former chairman of the Utah County Democratic Party, was defeated by Mike Weinholtz (D), a Salt Lake City businessman, at the Democratic state convention, making Weinholtz the party's nominee.

    On August 15, 2015, businessman Jonathan Johnson (Utah) (R) launched his campaign to challenge Herbert for the Republican nomination in 2016. He announced his candidacy at the Utah Republican Party convention, where both he and Herbert paid $25,000 to speak before the delegates. "I think Utah’s ready for a change. They're looking for someone who has a proven track record of leading and I think I can be that person," Johnson stated after the event, referring to his past experience as CEO of Overstock.com. Herbert, meanwhile, used the convention platform to tout his achievements as governor over the last six years since he took office.[9]

    At the state's Republican convention on April 23, 2016, Governor Herbert failed to secure the 60 percent of votes necessary to win the Republican nomination without a primary election. Herbert was therefore challenged by Johnson, who won 55 percent of the vote at the convention, in the June 28 primary.[10] Herbert ultimately defeated Johnson by a margin of 44 points.

    Herbert defeated Weinholtz in the November 8, 2016, general election.

    About the offices

    Governor

    Main article: Governor of Utah

    The governor of the state of Utah is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the highest state office in Utah. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is not subject to term limits.[11] The 17th and current governor is Republican Gary R. Herbert. Herbert—previously lieutenant governor—became governor in August 2009 when former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) resigned to become United States ambassador to China. Herbert subsequently won a special election in November 2010 to serve the remainder of Huntsman's term. He was elected to a full four-year term alongside running mate Greg Bell on November 6, 2012.[12]

    See also: Utah State Legislature, Utah House of Representatives, Utah State Senate

    Incumbent

    Republican Governor Gary R. Herbert (R) announced in June 2014 that he would seek re-election in 2016.[13] He ran on a ticket with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R).[12]

    Herbert—previously lieutenant governor—became governor in August 2009 when former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) resigned to become United States ambassador to China. Herbert subsequently won a special election in November 2010 to serve the remainder of Huntsman's term. He was elected to a full four-year term alongside running mate Greg Bell on November 6, 2012.[12] Bell left office in September 2013 for financial reasons, and Herbert appointed Cox to replace him, effective October 16, 2013.

    Lieutenant governor

    Main article: Lieutenant Governor of Utah

    The lieutenant governor of the state of Utah is an elected statutory officer, the second-ranking officer of the executive branch, and the first officer in line to succeed the governor. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is not subject to term limits.[14] The eighth and current lieutenant governor is Spencer Cox (R). He has served in this position since October 16, 2013. Cox was named to replace Greg Bell (R), who resigned the office in September 2013 citing financial reasons.[15]

    Incumbent

    Before becoming lieutenant governor, Spencer Cox (R) briefly served as the state representative for District 58.[12][16] A Utah Policy poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates in January 2015 showed Herbert to be both well-known and popular, with a job approval rating of 74 percent among all registered voters and—remarkably high—89 percent among Republicans. According to the same poll, Cox, after over one year in office, remained unknown to the majority of Utah voters. Of the 40 percent of respondents who recognized Cox's name, only half knew he was the lieutenant governor.[12]

    State profile

    Demographic data for Utah
     UtahU.S.
    Total population:2,990,632316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):82,1703,531,905
    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

    See also

    Utah government:

    Previous elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Voter Registration: Utah," accessed January 3, 2014
    2. ↑ 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.
    3. ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch forced into primary fight," April 21, 2012
    4. ↑ National Records and Archives Administration, "Historical election results," accessed June 21, 2016
    5. ↑ Cache Valley Daily, "Gov. Herbert, Johnson spar over public lands lawsuit," April 12, 2016
    6. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Johnson calls Herbert a 'coward' for refusing to debate," June 20, 2016
    7. ↑ Deseret News, "Q and A: Jim Matheson talks politics past, present, future," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
    8. ↑ Utah Policy, "Poll: Herbert Would Beat Matheson by Nearly 2-1 Margin," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
    9. ↑ Fox13 Salt Lake City, "Governor Herbert gets an election challenger," August 15, 2015
    10. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Utah Gov. Herbert failed to secure nomination at convention," April 23, 2015
    11. ↑ Utah Governor, "Home page," accessed May 21, 2012
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 CNN, "Herbert wins re-election as Utah Governor," November 6, 2012
    13. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Governor Herbert says he will run for re-election in 2016," June 25, 2014
    14. ↑ Utah Lt. Governor, "Home page," accessed May 21, 2012
    15. ↑ Fox 13, "Utah’s new Lt. Governor announced," October 8, 2013
    16. ↑ KUTV, "Spencer Cox Sworn In as Lieutenant Governor," October 17, 2013
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