St. George • After finishing first and second this week, the headliners in St. George’s mayoral primary — incumbent Mayor Michele Randall and City Council member Jimmie Hughes — are headed this fall for a rematch of the 2021 race to see who will lead Utah’s fifth-largest city.
As of midafternoon Thursday, Randall, who is seeking a second full term, and Hughes, the mayor pro tem and a longtime council member, far outpaced the other two candidates, with 42% and 37% of the vote, respectively, according to unofficial results.
Rounding out the field were Aros Mackey, the self-billed “only true conservative” in the race, with 18.4% of the vote, and Brannon Razo, a cook at Black Deseret Resort who hails from the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, with almost 3%
In 2021, Randall bested Hughes by more than 2,100 votes in the general election.
There were few surprises in the City Council races as well. Of the seven candidates vying for two seats, incumbent Michelle Tanner garnered 23.4% of the vote, and Natalie Larsen had nearly 20%, according to Thursday’s unofficial returns. Political novice and small-business owner Jamie Leavitt tallied 17.4%, and former business owner Greg Aldred racked up 14.5%.
Utah Tech University professor Nathan Caplin tallied 10.2%, while airline pilot Shane Losee and Five Counties Executive Director Bryan Thiriot both registered less than 10%.
The four with the most votes advance to the November finale.