Democrats May Gain Three Seats on Utah State Board of Education

Utah State Board of Education Election Shifts Republican Supermajority as Unofficial Returns Show Democratic Gains

Unofficial election returns as of 9:30 p.m. show three Utah State Board of Education seats may move to Democrats, potentially shifting the total number of Democratic seats to five on the 15-member Republican-controlled board, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Eight seats on the 15-member board were up for election this cycle, with four races decided ahead of Tuesday. In District 1, incumbent Republican Jennie Earl leads Democratic challenger Cathy Callow-Heusser with 64.24% of the vote to Callow-Heusser’s 35.66%, covering parts of Cache, Rich, Box Elder, Summit, and Morgan Counties according to returns.

Competitive Districts Track Tight Races Across Salt Lake and Utah Counties

In District 7, newcomer Democrat James Martin leads with 60.31% against Republican Erin Longacre, an appointee of Governor Spencer Cox, in a district covering Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, and Alta. Newcomer Democrat Araueni Olivares holds a lead in District 8 over Republican Nicole McDermott with 53.82% of the vote across parts of Taylorsville, Kearns, and West Jordan. Meanwhile, newcomer Republican Tracy Nuttall leads Democrat Lacey Peterson with 55.45% of the vote in District 11, which includes parts of Utah County, Lehi, American Fork, Alpine, and Bluffdale.

Four Uncontested Board Seats Decided Before Tuesday

Four additional races were settled ahead of Tuesday’s count. District 2 goes to Democrat Kacee Weaver following the September resignation and withdrawal of incumbent Joseph Kerry, covering parts of Weber County, Ogden, and Eden. Incumbent Republican Leann Wood retains her District 4 seat after challenger Heather Dopp failed to secure party support at convention across Davis County, North Salt Lake, Farmington, and Bountiful. Incumbent Democrat Sarah Reale keeps her District 5 seat covering parts of West Valley City, Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, and Murray after Republican challenger Michael Clara dropped out in May. Finally, newcomer Republican Linda Hanks takes District 14, spanning Beaver, Sevier, Iron, Emery, Utah, Millard, Juab, Carbon, Sanpete, and Grand Counties, after incumbent Republican Emily Green announced in January she would not seek reelection.