Utah Treasurer election, 2016
2020→ ←2012 |
June 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
David Damschen (R) |
David Damschen (R) |
Governor and Lt. Governor Attorney General •Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor |
Utahheld an election fortreasurer onNovember 8, 2016. IncumbentDavid Damschen (R) won election to a full term.
Candidates
Neil Hansen(D)
State rep. from 1999 to 2010
David Damschen(R)
Incumbentstate treasurer since 2015
Richard Proctor(Constitution Party)
Retired economist
| Clickshow to see candidates defeated at the party conventions. | |||
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Results
IncumbentDavid Damschen defeatedNeil Hansen andRichard Proctor in the Utah treasurer election.
| Utah Treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 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
Aprimary 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 onJune 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.
IncumbentDavid Damschen (R)
Damschen was appointed to the position of state treasurer in December 2015 by Governor Gary Herbert. Damschen filled a vacancy left byRichard 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 underRepublicantrifecta control since as early as 1992. Additionally, all partisan state executive offices are also held by Republicans. The state has not seen aDemocratic governor since Scott M. Matheson left office in 1985. Utah has not been represented by a Democrat in theU.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
| 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 TreasurerRichard Ellis (D) | |||||||||
| GovernorGary Herbert (D) | |||||||||
| Salt Lake County Treasurer K. Wayne Cushing | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
About the office
TheTreasurer of Utah is an elected executive position in theUtah state government. Thetreasurer 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 wasRepublicanDavid Damschen.
Qualifications
Article VII, Section 3 of theUtah Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
|
- a qualified elector
- a resident of Utah for five years preceding election
- at least 25 years old
Authority
The office of treasurer is established inArticle VII, Section 1 of thestate 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
IncumbentRichard Ellis (R) won re-election in 2012. He defeatedChristopher Stout (D) andVincent Marcus (L) in theNovember 6, 2012 general election.
| Utah Treasurer General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Christopher Stout | 28.1% | 247,277 | |
| Republican | 66.9% | 589,045 | ||
| Libertarian | Vincent Marcus | 5% | 44,257 | |
| Total Votes | 880,579 | |||
| Election results viaUtah 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 | 66.7% | 604,091 | ||
| Democratic | Dick Clark | 33.3% | 302,247 | |
| Total Votes | 906,338 | |||
| Election results viaElections.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 | 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 viaOur 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 | 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 viaElections.utah.gov. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsUtah 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) Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere 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 censushere. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also:Presidential voting trends in Utah
Utahvoted 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
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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