facebook-pixel

‘The Rundown’: Utah’s population grows like gangbusters

Your Tuesday morning political cheat sheet

"The Rundown" logo

Good Tuesday morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown.”

I want to hear from you! Got a news tip? Some feedback? A question or thoughts about Utah politics? Send me an email or find me on Twitter.

Get this email delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up for free here.

The interconnectedness of Utah politics


(AP Photo | Rick Bowmer) In this June 16, 2018, photo, Chris Herrod shakes hands with Kevin Orton during a 2nd amendment rally at the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City.

On Saturday, Utah County Clerk Amelia Powers Gardner was elected to replace Tanner Ainge on the Utah County Commission. Ainge announced his resignation last month.

Gardner’s ascension to the Utah County Commission can all be traced back to 2006 and former Utah Rep. Chris Herrod.

In 2006, Rep. Jeff Alexander announced his resignation after 16 years in the Utah House. Several candidates filed to replace him, and the top two vote-getters among the delegates were Herrod and John Curtis. Curtis actually won the delegate vote, but he didn’t win by enough, so the Utah County GOP sent both of their names to then-Governor Jon Huntsman, who was supposed to appoint Alexander’s replacement.

Huntsman balked at making a choice and sent the decision back to then-Utah GOP chair Enid Greene. She interviewed both of them and chose Herrod, who Huntsman then appointed to the legislature. Curtis had recently challenged Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, as a Democrat and was the chair of the Utah County Democratic Party, which is probably why Herrod got the nod.

Curtis was later elected Mayor of Provo.

Herrod gave up his seat in the Utah House in 2012 when he was one of 9 Republicans who challenged Sen. Orrin Hatch that year. Herrod finished third at the Utah GOP convention behind Hatch and Dan Liljenquist, who forced Hatch into a primary election that year, which Hatch won easily.

After a four-year hiatus, Herrod challenged Bramble for the GOP nomination in 2016, forcing him into a primary. Herrod lost by just 411 votes.

A year later, then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz unexpectedly retired from Congress, setting up another special election. Herrod defeated ten other Republicans, including now Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, at the special 3rd Congressional District delegate vote in June. But John Curtis, who finished 5th in the delegate vote, and Tanner Ainge gathered signatures to get on the primary ballot. Curtis won the primary election and won a seat in Congress. Ainge parlayed that failed run for Congress into a seat on the Utah County Commission, which Gardner filled on Saturday.

The following year, Herrod again challenged Curtis, but he was crushed in the primary election as Curtis scored 73% of the vote.

(Hat tip to Sen. Todd Weiler for reminding me of this strange bit of Utah history).

What you need to know for Tuesday morning

  • Utah’s population grew 18.4% over the last decade, but it wasn’t enough to give the state a 5th seat in Congress. Overall, the U.S. population grew 7.4%, which is the second-slowest rate in history. Seven seats shifted, with Texas picking up two more seats in the House, while California lost a seat for the first time in history [Tribune].
  • A conservative group says Reps. Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart undermined democracy when they helped former President Donald Trump push the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen and fraudulent. Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Blake Moore got “D” grades in the report card, while Sen. Mitt Romney was one of 16 Republicans to receive an “A” [Tribune].
  • Sen. Romney wants to open a passport office in Salt Lake City [Tribune].
  • The White House says its proposed capital gains tax hike would affect only 0.3% of American taxpayers who make more than $1 million per year [Reuters].
  • President Joe Biden is expected to announce increased enforcement efforts by the IRS to collect taxes owed from high-earning Americans to help pay for his proposed social programs [NYT].
  • The Supreme Court will take up a gun rights case examining a New York law requiring individuals to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon in public [NPR].
  • The Justice Department opened an investigation into the Louisville, Kentucky police after officers shot and killed a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, during a botched raid of her home [NYT].
  • A summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking increasingly likely [CNN].
  • President Biden is set to announce changes to the CDC guidance for wearing masks outdoors [CNN].
  • The U.S. will share its stock of 60 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with other countries [AP].
  • A new poll shows about ¼ of women in America say they are worse off financially a year into the COVID-19 pandemic [WaPo].
  • The Department of Homeland Security will conduct an internal investigation to root out extremism within its ranks [NYT].
  • President Biden will unveil a new executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15/hour by March of 2022 [The Hill].
  • The Republican-led effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsome gathered enough signatures to go before voters [AP].

    • Tuesday’s Utah news roundup

    Utah

  • Granite School District announces new superintendent - Tribune
  • Car registration renewal postcards will be returning to your mailbox - Tribune
  • How Utah hopes to help those who left college to get degree back on track - Deseret News

    • COVID

  • Utah’s coronavirus percentage rate continues to climb slightly - Tribune
  • Almost 880,000 Utahns are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - Tribune

    • Local government

  • Mantua mayor resigns after firing police chief - Tribune
  • As campaigning begins in Salt Lake City, here’s how it will be different than other years - Deseret News
  • Utah County Republican Party elects new leadership - Daily Herald
  • Summit County Clerk Kent Jones to retire after a quarter-century in office - Park Record

    • On the opinion pages

  • Michael Lerner: We all have a stake in Grand Staircase-Escalante’s future - Tribune
  • Tommy Johnson: Righting racist wrongs is not racism - Tribune

    • You say it’s your birthday?

    Happy birthday, state Sen. Don Ipson, Gordon Larsen, director of policy for former Gov. Gary Herbert, and Rundown subscriber Kyle Cummings.

    Do you have a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.

    — Tribune reporter Karina Andrew contributed to this story.