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Utah Treasurer election, 2016

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Utah Treasurer Election

Primary Date:
June 2016
General Election Date:
November 8, 2016

November Election Winner:
David Damschen (R)
Incumbent Prior to Election:
David Damschen (R)

State Executive Elections
Top Ballot
Governor and Lt. Governor
Attorney GeneralTreasurer
Down Ballot
Auditor
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

Utahheld an election fortreasurer onNovember 8, 2016. IncumbentDavid Damschen (R) won election to a full term.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • IncumbentDavid Damschen (R) was appointed byGovernorGary Herbert (R) in December 2015 to fill a vacancy.
  • Damschen was seeking election to a full term in 2016, and was challenged by formerstate Rep.Neil Hansen (D) andRichard Proctor(CP) in the general election.
  • Prior to the 2016 election, Democrats had not held the office of treasurer since 1981.
  • Damschen won the general election onNovember 8, 2016.
  • Candidates

    Neil Hansen square.jpg

    Neil Hansen(D)
    State rep. from 1999 to 2010


    David Damschen square.jpeg

    David Damschen(R)
    Incumbentstate treasurer since 2015


    Richard Proctor square.jpg

    Richard Proctor(Constitution Party)
    Retired economist



    Clickshow to see candidates defeated at the party conventions. 
    Merrill Cook (R) -FormerU.S. Congressman[1]

    Results

    IncumbentDavid Damschen defeatedNeil Hansen andRichard Proctor in the Utah treasurer election.

    Utah Treasurer, 2016
    PartyCandidateVote %Votes
        RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngDavid DamschenIncumbent61.23%652,704
        DemocraticNeil Hansen31.70%337,994
        Constitution PartyRichard Proctor7.07%75,363
    Total Votes1,066,061
    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
    Neil Hansen (D)Campaign website Facebook Twitter YouTube Linkedin

    Republicans
    David Damschen (R)Campaign website Facebook YouTube Linkedin

    Campaign finance

    David Damschen Campaign Finance Reports
    ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
    for Reporting Period
    ExpendituresCash on Hand
    Convention reportJanuary 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016$0.00$19,126.06$(11,378.07)$7,747.99
    Primary reportApril 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
    ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
    for Reporting Period
    ExpendituresCash on Hand
    Convention reportJanuary 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016$0$45.00$(1,443.02)$−1,398.02
    Primary reportApril 14, 2016 to June 16, 2016$−1,398.02$3,064.03$(1,640.89)$25.12
    Running totals
    $3,109.03$(3,083.91)
    Richard Proctor Campaign Finance Reports
    ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
    for Reporting Period
    ExpendituresCash on Hand
    Convention reportJanuary 1, 2016 to April 13, 2016$0$0$(0)$0
    Primary reportApril 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:

    1. To be eligible for the office of State Auditor or State Treasurer a person shall be 25 years of age or older at the time of election.
    2. No person is eligible to any of the offices provided for in Section 1 unless at the time of election that person is a qualified voter and has been a resident citizen of the state for five years next preceding the election.
    • 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

    See also:Utah down ballot state executive 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
    PartyCandidateVote %Votes
        Democratic Christopher Stout28.1%247,277
        RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngRichard EllisIncumbent66.9%589,045
        Libertarian Vincent Marcus5%44,257
    Total Votes880,579
    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
    PartyCandidateVote %Votes
        RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngRichard K. Ellis66.7%604,091
        Democratic Dick Clark33.3%302,247
    Total Votes906,338
    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
    PartyCandidateVote %Votes
        RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngEdward T. AlterIncumbent61.2%536,606
        Democratic Debbie Hansen33.2%291,179
        Personal Choice Mary A. Petersen3.1%27,553
        Libertarian Jim Elwell2.4%20,961
        Independent David J. Murtha0%2
    Total Votes876,301
    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
    PartyCandidateVote %Votes
        RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngEdward T. AlterIncumbent82.9%532,372
        Libertarian Hugh A. Butler12.7%81,697
        NL Elliot J. Hulet4.3%27,778
    Total Votes641,847
    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
     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)
    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

    See also

    Utah government:

    Previous elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. Utah Political Hub, "Merrill Cook running for Utah State Treasurer," November 6, 2015
    2. Project Vote Smart, "Voter Registration: Utah," accessed January 3, 2014
    3. 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.
    4. The Dallas Morning News, "Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch forced into primary fight," April 21, 2012
    5. National Records and Archives Administration, "Historical election results," accessed June 21, 2016
    6. Utah.gov, "About the Utah state treasurer," accessed October 28, 2011
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