I'm going to get straight to the point with this diary: this is a diary to let Daily Kos users, specifically DKE stalwarts know what (limited) strength the Utah Democrats have, as well as our potential or current candidates. I'm not going to get really into candidate biographies, but I'll let you know a little about the candidates.
Currently, we have 12 state representatives, 5 state senators, 3 city mayors, one county mayor (the only county mayor in the state), and a few city councilpeople, mostly in Salt Lake City. As of now, two weeks before the 2015 municipal elections, we also have several candidates for various offices, mostly for municipal races, but also a few early candidates for legislative offices.
One more fact; of the three state house districts we lost in 2014, we lost three by a combined 295 votes. I will point out the seats and their candidates.
I'm going to run three or four diaries for the 2015-2016 Utah Dems: one now, one after the 2015 municipal elections, possibly one after the 2016 primaries, and one after the 2016 general election. Feel free to ask anything about the diary, and mostly anything about Utah Democrats. I don't know them all, but I know of most.
Currently serving Democratic officials
Mayors/City Officials:
Ben McAdams: Salt Lake County Mayor since 2012, and one of the rising stars of the Utah Democrats. Used to be state senator for SD-02, and is one of those "moderate rhetoric, progressive results" types. Has a quirky, Mormon-influenced sense of humor that helped him in his first mayoral election. Running for re-election, but could be a Congressional or Gubernatorial candidate. Has been having a legal fight with his former campaign manager Justin Miller, who is now a legislator. I'll explain more in Miller's entry. Disclaimer: I am a big Ben McAdams fan.
Ralph Becker Two-term mayor of Salt Lake city since 2008, and former state senator and Democratic Minority Leader. Is a big environmentalist, but has been attacked on the misbehavior of his city's police department as well as poverty-related issues. Is running for a third term, but placed a distant second in the top-two primary. Unlikely to run for anything else.
JoAnne Seighini Mayor of Midvale since 1998, and is 71 years old. She's a Democrat and a former educator, but that's all I know about her. Just won re-election in 2013, and reportedly not running in 2017.
Mike Caldwell: Ogden mayor since 2011, and a rather development-oriented Democrat. I think he's up for re-election this year, and should be a favorite to win. Disliked by the anti-development voters. Young-ish.
Luke Garrott: Current Salt Lake City Councilman from District 4 in downtown Salt Lake, who just lost the nonpartisan primary for Salt Lake City Mayor. Very liberal (would not take PAC or SuperPAC money in his mayoral campaign). Could be a future legislative candidate.
Kyle LaMalfa: SLC Councilman from District 2 in central and western Salt Lake, first taking office in 2010. Is not running for re-election as he is in a relationship with fellow city council member Erin Mendenhall, which could raise many questions of ethics. Otherwise standard Salt Lake City Democrat. Either LaMalfa or Mendenhall could run for SLC Mayor one day.
Erin Mendenhall: SLC Councilwoman from District 5 (south-central Salt Lake) and executive director of Breathe Utah an air quality non-profit. Young-ish, progressive, and could be a potential legislative candidate, even with the questions about her relationship with Kyle LaMalfa.
Stan Penfold: Just remembered him, he's a Democrat or left-leaning independent and was the first openly gay member of the SLC city council. Still a member of the council. Apparently fiscally conservative?
Charlie Luke: SLC City Councilman from District 6 since 2011. Seems to be a standard SLC Democrat.
Lars Nordfelt: West Valley City Councilperson, only Democrat I know of on the West Valley City Council. Older guy. That's all I know about him.
Marcia White: Ogden City Council Member At-Large since 2013. I'm not actually sure if she's a Democrat or not (I remember being told that she is though). Could be a potential candidate for the state house.
Non-Mayoral County Officials:
Sim Gill: Salt Lake District Attorney since 2010, recently re-elected in 2014. Gill is Indian-American, and in his 50s. He's quite progressive for a DA, especially on drug policy and criminal justice issues. In fact, he calls himself a fiscal moderate, and points out that the current justice system is expensive, while a revamped one would be cheaper. Gill could be a candidate for Attorney General in 2020, but is currently not running in the 2016 AG election.
Sam Granato: District 4 Salt Lake (SLCO) County Councilman, 2010 Senate candidate. According to his district profile, "District 4 runs along the east side, from the University of Utah to Bengal Boulevard . It encompasses parts of Salt Lake City, Holladay City, Cottonwood Heights, Murray City, and the entire Millcreek Township." Granato is quite moderate, and is generally considered one of the "party elders". He is the owner of Granatos, a three-generation Italian and Mediterranean catering company.
Jenny Wilson: At-Large County Councilwoman, taking office first in 2005-2010, and second from 2014 to present. Wilson is the daughter of 1970s Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson, and like her father, is fairly progressive (successfully passed initiatives on the environment, the benefits of LGBT county employees, etc). She was the first woman on the County Council (which isn't so bad when you realize that the Council County only started in 2000 or so). She's about 50 or younger, so she could be a good contender for various offices, possibly even County Mayor once Ben McAdams runs for something else. Ran for Salt Lake City Mayor in 2007.
Jim Bradley: At-large County Councilman, he’s been involved with county government since the 1990s, and formerly served in Governor Scott Matheson’s administration. Relatively moderate, and focuses on local issues. Probably not a candidate for anything but the County Council.
Arlyn Bradshaw: Salt Lake County Councilman from District 1, openly gay, quite young (34 years old). Former Utah Dem Executive Director.Council District covers northern Salt Lake County, including Salt Lake City itself and South Salt Lake (a different city from SLC itself). He's big on LGBT issues, and could potentially run for something else, though all the legislative seats in his council district are held by powerful progressive Democrats. Bradshaw could run for Utah Democratic Chair.
Jim Winder: Salt Lake County Sheriff since 2007, and a 29 year veteran of the county sheriff's office. Looks to be in his 50s or 60s. Trounced his 2014 Republican opponent, and has been mentioned as a possible UT-04 candidate in the future. Seems to be moderate, but not afraid to identify as a Democrat (gave a speech in the 2014 Democratic Convention on that topic, in fact).
State Senate (5 Dems)
Luz Escamilla (SD-01): Hispanic state senator from District 1, which covers western Salt Lake City and much of West Valley City (starting from the north). Recently married (used to be just Luz Robles). Defeated conservative Democratic Fred Fife at convention in 2008, before winning the general. Also ran for Utah's 2nd Congressional district, but lost to incumbent Chris Stewart. Quite progressive while also a Mormon.
Jim Dabakis (SD-02): State senator from District 2, which covers central Salt Lake City, some of West Valley City, and much of the mountains. Jim Dabakis is an oddity in Utah politics. He's a millionaire art dealer who made his fortune selling art in 1990s Russia, he's the former head of the Utah Democratic Party, and he's currently the only openly gay legislator in Utah. Dabakis is quite progressive, and is one of those types that enjoy annoying conservatives. His stated goal while Utah Democratic Chair was to bring more Mormons into the party, and for his credit, he did try. Needless to say, he's unlikely to be a strong candidate for anything beyond Salt Lake, and for nine days this year, he did run for SLC mayor, before dropping out and endorsing Jackie Biskupski.
Gene Davis (SD-03): State Senator from District 3 since 1998, and State Representative from 1987-1998, as well as current Senate Minority Leader. Oldest and most senior legislative Democrat. Davis is more moderate than his current blue district; his old district under the same name was very swingy. District 3 currently covers southern Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake (an entirely separate city from SLC), and a bit of Murray. Davis is 70 years and seems happy in his current office, so there's little chance of him running for another office. He is also fairly popular in his district, facing no opposition whatsoever in 2014. However, he's sided with Republicans on hot-button issues like the "ag-gag" law that passed a few years back, so it's possible he might face a primary challenge.
Jani Iwamoto (SD-04): State Senator from District 4, elected last year, and Salt Lake County Councilwoman from 2009 to 2013. Iwamoto is one of two Japanese-American legislators in the state, and the only woman of Asian descent (possibly the first) in the Utah legislature. As far as I can tell, she's a fairly typical Salt Lake County Democrat, neither centrist no overly liberal. Center-lefty, I suppose. Iwamoto beat former state senator Ross Romero at the 2014 Dem State Convention, which led to some hard feelings among the Romero advocates, which I won't get into. State Senate 4 covers Holladay, and parts of South Salt Lake, Murray, and Cottonwood Heights, which is almost exactly the same as Iwamoto's County Council district. She might be a good candidate for County Council again, or Mayor, and could be an alright Congressional candidate for UT-04 if she wanted to run.
Karen Mayne (SD-05): State Senator for District 5 since 2008. Mayne is a moderate with pro-union sensibilities. She was appointed to the senate seat of her husband Ed Mayne, a long time legislator and Utah labor leader, who died of cancer in 2008. Like Gene Davis in SD-03, she's an older legislator, and unlikely to run for any other office, and she's a moderate whose votes sometimes annoy local Democrats. District 5 encompasses a large portion of West Valley City, Kearns and Taylorsville, on the western side of Salt Lake County.
State House (12 Dems)
Susan Duckworth (HD-22): State Representative from House District 22 since 2009. Duckworth's district is mostly Magna, a bunch of non-populated mountains, a small portion of Taylorsville, and a bit of West Valley City, and is almost entirely contained within Senate District 12, an old labor-heavy district currently held by a Republican. Duckworth is much like her neighboring state senator Karen Mayne, as she is pro-labor, moderate, and etc. When Mayne retires, Duckworth could be a strong candidate for SD-05.
Sandra Hollins (HD-23): State Representative from House District 23 since the beginning of this year. Hollin's district covers both a ton of un-populated land in the western mountains (and around the Salt Lake City airport), but also a densely populated, highly diverse area in north-central Salt Lake City. Hollins is the first African-American woman in the legislature, and currently one of two African-Americans overall in the legislature (GOP state Senator Al Jackson is the other one). Very progressive and very out-spoken, Hollins is unlikely to go for statewide or even county offices, but could be a great candidate for the SLC-based state senate districts, or even a candidate for Salt Lake City Mayor. Or she could stay in her district, which might be the bluest district in Utah. Of note is that in her successful run for office, she defeated a Hispanic candidate and a wheelchair-bound candidate at the Democratic convention, the only district where this could happen.
Rebecca Chavez-Houck (HD-24): State Representative from District 24 since 2008. Chavez-Houck's district covers the northernmost part of Salt Lake City, a bunch of mountains (noticing a theme?), and possibly a bit of the city of North Salt Lake. Chavez-Houck's district is only 8% Hispanic, which is interesting, because most Hispanic legislators in Utah tend to be from minority heavy districts. Chavez-Houck is Minority Whip and a fairly liberal SLC Democrat, though not obnoxiously so. She's said to be well liked. She also managed to pass a couple of voting reforms over the past few years. If Jim Dabakis got bored and retired from SD-02, Chavez-Houck could easily run for his seat.
Joel Briscoe (HD-25): State Representative from District 25 since 2010. Briscoe's district is in eastern Salt Lake City (not sure what neighborhoods), and a small portion of South Salt Lake. Briscoe is a former high school teacher and current labor consultant, and has some moderate and some liberal inclinations, though I'm not sure on where on the political spectrum he would be. Great guy on education issues due to his career. Well-liked, and sometimes bearded. He could be a candidate for either SD-02 or SD-03, though most of his district is in SD-02.
Angela Romero (HD-26): State Representative from District 26 since 2013. Romero's district covers most of the west side of Salt Lake City (there is a big east-west divide in SLC), and a portion of West Valley. It is also the second most diverse district in Utah after HD-23. Romero is much like Rebecca Chavez-Houck in that she is a progressive Latina Democrat. She is more outspoken than Chavez-Houck, and younger, but the two are quite similar politically, and are genuine friends (as far as I know) as well as allies. Similarly, Romero could be a candidate for SD-02, though she could also run for SD-01.
Brian King (HD-28): State Representative from HD-28 since 2009, as well as House Minority Leader. King's district covers the northernmost covers a piece of northern Salt Lake City, but extends across a large chunk of the mountains into Summit County, making King one of two Democratic state representatives whose district covers more than a single county. King is very soft-spoken and quite polite (most of the time), and is thus well-regarded by many conservative legislators, which balances with his very progressive ideals. He's also very devoutly Mormon, and his district covers the LGBT-heavy Avenues neighborhood in Salt Lake City. Like Briscoe, King is also sometimes bearded. He could be a good candidate for SD-02. In fact, King's district is almost 100% contained within SD-02.
Mark Wheatley (HD-35): State Representative from HD-35 since 2005. Wheatley's district covers a lot of Murray as well as some of South Salt Lake City. He's fairly standard Utah liberal in terms of political views, being much like the other Salt Lake County-based Democrats. Despite his very Anglo name, Wheatley is Hispanic, and is married to Josie Valdez, long Democratic party leader (Utah Vice-Chair) and 2012 state senate nominee. Interested in Latino culture and immigration issues of course. I don't know much else about Wheatley other than that he has a beard, much like King and Briscoe. Electorally, he seems comfortable, but could theoretically run for SD-03 once Gene Davis retires.
Patrice Arent (HD-36): State Representative from HD-36 since 2011, was State Senator from 2003-2006, and before that was State Representative from 1997 to 2003. Arent's district covers a patch of eastern Salt Lake City/Millcreek township, and, you guessed it, lots of mountains. Arent herself is Jewish (the only current Jewish person in the legislature), and is another well-respected yet progressive Salt Lake City Democrat. Is out-spoken about Utah's terrible air quality, which led state senator Margaret Dayton (R-Orem) to label Arent a "clean air Nazi", despite Arent being Jewish. Like most Democrats in Utah, Arent doesn't have much room to run for office, but could theoretically run for SD-04 if Jani Iwamoto vacates it. She was also Utah's superdelegate in 2008.
Carol Spackman-Moss (HD-37): State Representative from HD-37 since 2001. Carol Spackman-Moss (who I will now refer to as CSM) has a district mainly in Holladay, but covering a bit of Murray. CSM is a former educator (educated for 33 before entering the legislature), and seems to be center-left for a Utah Democrat, neither moderate or extremely progressive. And is she well-liked? Yep. She's good on healthcare, education, and clean air issues specifically. She's an older legislator, so unlikely to run for higher office.
Justin Miller (HD-40): State Representative from HD-46 since 2015. Miller's district covers Freshman Democrat who mostly represents Milcreek, an unincorporated township in Salt Lake County. Ah, Justin. Up until 2014, he was a rising Utah Democratic star, a young campaign whiz who had used his abilities to help elect Ben McAdams as Salt Lake County Mayor, and had been appointed Deputy Mayor and continued to be McAdam's campaign manager. He even started his own electoral career, becoming the Democratic nominee for the open HD-40.
Then it turns out that during the election, Miller may have embezzled $30,000 from his boss, Mayor McAdams. McAdams confronts Miller, but keeps it quiet, until spring 2015, when the news comes out anyway. The alleged embezzlement is considered so obvious that in July the Democratic legislators publicly ask Miller to resign, while Miller himself throws allegations of corruption at his old boss McAdams and does a bad job of proving his innocence. As of now, he refuses to resign, but most certainly will not be able to run for re-election and already faces both charges and challengers. Before these embezzlement allegations came out, he was known as a young and polite, but brash progressive who managed to force the Utah House to vote on Medicaid expansion (kinda). Now he'll be lucky to escape prison.
Marie H Poulson (HD-46): State Representative from HD-46 since 2009. Poulson's district covers mainly Cottonwood Heights, but also ski resort towns Brighton and and Alta, and, you guessed it, lots of mountains. I don't know much about Poulson other than the fact that she's a teacher and that she's an old legislator, so I'll simply guess that she's much like Carol Spackman-Moss, and I hope any local Utah politicos can correct me if I'm wrong. Her district is entirely contained within one strongly Republican senate district, and one decently Republican senate district, so she has little room to move up.
Brad King (HD-69):State Representative from HD-69 since 2009, previously a representative from 1997-2009. Brad King's district covers parts of Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, and Grand counties, in south-central Utah, stretching to the Wyoming border. Brad King is basically the Joe Manchin of Utah, a truly conservative, pro-coal Democrat who is great at winning in his local area. I don't know much about him, but he may be more conservative than Jim Matheson. He is of no relation to Brian King. Brad King doesn't seem to have anywhere to move up, as his district is split between two massive senate districts.
Possible or current candidates for various offices who don't currently hold office:
Doug Owens: Owens was the 2014 candidate for UT-04, and came within 5% of winning. He announced another run at the Salt Lake County Democratic convention a few months back. He's a little more liberal than Jim Matheson, but not by much. I support him, he's a nice moderate guy that fits well with UT-04.
Jackie Biskupski: former Democratic state representative for HD-30 (back when it was in Salt Lake City), and current candidate and frontrunner for Salt Lake City Mayor. Biskupski is a powerhouse in Utah Democratic politics, she began her politic career as Patrice Arent's campaign manager in 1996, and followed into the legislature from 1999-2011. She was the first openly gay member of the legislature, and earned the distinction of being politically attacked by Gayle Ruzicka, the powerful head of the Utah Eagle Forum. Biskupski is quite politically progressive, and frequently gains the backing of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. She'll probably be the first openly gay mayor in Utah after this year's election. Her orientation unfortunately keeps her from being able to win statewide, but she could run for the state House again, or the State Senate. Or the County Council.
Karen Kwan: 2014 Democratic candidate for HD-34 against incumbent Republican Johnny Anderson. Kwan is interesting for several reasons. First, she was not the original Democratic candidate for HD-34, Celina Milner was. Milner backed out before the filing deadline for family reasons, so Kwan filled in instead. Second, Kwan is Chinese-American, and I don't think Utah has had a Chinese-American legislator. Third, Kwan was a last minute candidate, but did better in 2014 than the high-profile Milner did in 2012, a presidential year. Strong campaigner, especially in the diverse HD-34. Kwan came within 500 votes of winning, and has already announced that she's running again.
Christine Passey: 2014 candidate for HD-44, an open seat that was vacated by Democrat Tim Cosgrove. Passey is one of the three Democrats that lost by a combined 295 votes (she lost by 55 votes to Bruce Cutler, probably no relation to Eliot Cutler in Maine), and is running again for the same seat in 2016. Passey is an Autism rights advocate in her day job, and a fantastic fundraiser and campaigner.
Zach Robinson: 2012 and 2014 candidate for HD-49, a seat covering parts of Draper, Cottonwood Heights, and Sandy. Considering that all but Cottonwood Heights is heavily Republican, the fact that Robinson got 43% in 2014 isn't too bad. The main reason I mention him is that he is another early campaign announcer.
Liz Muniz: 2012 and 2014 candidate for HD-33, a diverse, West Valley-centric seat. Muniz is a good campaigner, but unfortunately in 2012 she beat a pro-labor Democrat who had held the district for two decades at convention, leading to a split between the district's labor voters and their rising Hispanic voters. This allowed Republican Craig Hill, whose family has connections in the district, to win. Muniz tried again in 2014, and lost again with a few percentages down because of midterm turnout. I'm expecting Muniz to try a third time in 2016, but Craig Hall is getting entrenched so I don't have high hopes. Like Angela Romero and Rebecca Chavez-Houck, she's Hispanic and liberal, though I would say that Muniz is more moderate.
Celina Milner: 2012 candidate for HD-34. Milner is a lot like Liz Muniz in that she's a liberal Hispanic candidate for office in a West Valley-based district. She lost by only 791 votes in 2012, but decided not to try again in 2014. She's a strong campaigner, and a great fundraiser (Johnny Anderson wasn't considered to be vulnerable in 2012), so I hope she tries for something in 2016 or 2018. as I mentioned earlier, Karen Kwan is already running for HD-34, so I doubt Milner will go for that seat.
Michael D. Lee: 2014 candidate for HD-30, referred to by Utah Democrats as "our Mike Lee". Lee is the vice-president of the Utah AFL-CIO, and a police officer by profession. He lost by only 45 votes to Fred Cox, making him another of the "collectively lost by 295" (a theme pounded in the Dem conventions this year) candidates. He's interesting policy-wise, as he's an inner-city candidate who is not pro-gun control, and is pro-higher minimum wage, pro-LGBT, and pro-campaign finance reform. Originally he thought he won last year, but since he ended up losing by so narrow a margin, I think he'll run again. And if he does, he has a good chance of winning.
Ross Romero: former State Senator for District 7 from 2006 to 2012, and State Representative for District 25 from 2004-2006. Romero was also Senate Minority Leader. He ran for Salt Lake County Mayor in 2012, but lost to Ben McAdams at convention. In 2014, he ran for SD-04 and lost at convention to Jani Iwamoto. It's odd that he's lost so decisively, because Romero has strong support among both the Latino community, and his district's white community, since he was senator there for a while. Currently I think he's back for working for Zion's Bank (the local bank that the LDS Church used to own), and is a member of the commission that picks Presidential Scholars. He could run for something in a few years, possibly a rematch with Jani Iwamoto in 2018, or a state house run.
Tiffany Doncouse: 2015 Candidate for Murray City Council. She did not face a primary, so automatically advanced to the general. Progressive, long-time activist. I don't know much about her. Could be a candidate for a Murray-based state house district one day.
Michele Weeks: 2014 State Senate nominee for SD-11, and current candidate for Draper City Council (with no primary). Weeks was touted as a strong moderate candidate for the state senate seat, but unfortunately could not overcome incumbent Republican Howard Stephenson. Hopefully she'll do better for the city council seat. Since she lives in Draper, there are little to no chances for advancement through the legislature.
Larry Wiley: Wiley is the former state representative from HD-31 serving from 2005 to 2015 (because of his defeat). Wiley is the last of the "collectively lost by 295" Democrats, losing in 2014 by 195 votes to Sophia DiCaro. He's an older legislator, and had strong constituent service and a laid-back, "cowboy" persona. Some Utah Democrats have told me that he was the only one who could have held this seat, but we'll see next year. In any case, Wiley is running for West Valley City Council, and placed second in the top-two primary. Unfortunately, he got about 25% of the vote to incumbent Tom Hunyh's 65%, so I don't see Wiley winning this one. Oh, and he's always bearded.
Amy Fowler: Fowler was a candidate for HD-40 in 2014, but lost to Justin Miller at convention. Due in part to Miller's alleged embezzlement, Fowler is running for HD-40 again. She is a public defender and LGBT activist, and is firmly on the progressive side of things.
Sophia Hawes-Tingey 2015 candidate for Midvale City Council District 2. Hawes-Tingey was also a candidate for HD-40, but lost at convention to Justin Miller. She is transgender, and would be the first transgender elected official in Utah if she wins. She is an engineer and former soldier (Army? Marine? Not sure). She received 39% against two-term incumbent Paul Glover (a Republican, though the election itself is nonpartisan), and has a lot of support from various LGBT groups. Hawes-Tingey could be a candidate for HD-40 again if Miller manages to hold on despite his ethics problems.
Nate Salazar: Salazar is one of two 2015 candidates for Salt Lake City Council District 4. Salazar is a longtime activist in SLC, and is involved in numerous causes, from community councils, to being chair of the Salt Lake County Democratic Hispanic Caucus. He's also a teacher as his day job. Salazar is a good fundraiser and well-liked, but as I'll explain in Derek Kitchen's entry, that may not be enough. Salazar could be a good progressive candidate for the state house if any of the Salt Lake City incumbent legislators retire. Of note is that like Kitchen, Salazar is under 30 years old.
Derek Kitchen: Kitchen is the other 2015 candidate for Salt Lake City Council District 4. Kitchen is a folk hero in Utah's LGBT community since he and his partner Moudi Sbeity were the plantiffs in the case that overthrew Utah's same-sex marriage ban. Accordingly, he's an incredibly good fundraiser in the LGBT community, and is well-liked across Salt Lake City. His day job is operating a Moroccan foods store in Salt Lake City with his partner. Like Salazar, he is a progressive, with a focus on transit and economic development. In the two-top primary Kitchen placed 36.04% to Salazar's 17.89%. I predict that Kitchen will win, even though I like Salazar better for the purposes of diversity on the city council. Salazar could pull off a win though, if he can consolidate the non-Kitchen voters. In any case, Kitchen can probably have Jim Dabakis's state senate seat whenever he wants it. He's that well-liked.
Dan Snarr: Mayor of Murray from 1998 to 2014. Snarr ran for County Council in 2014, losing 45-55 to Republican Aimee Winder Newton (sister of former West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder). Snarr is primarily known for two things, his foot long handlebar mustache (not even joking, it's a real mustache), and his cowboy philosopher attitude. Many people didn't even know he is a Democrat. Snarr is 65, but theoretically, he could run for County Council again, though he's said that he's not inclined towards legislative office.
Lynn Hemingway: Former incumbent for HD-40 from 2007 to 2015, Hemingway retired to make way for Justin Miller, and if you've gotten this far, you'd know that this doesn't end well. In any case, there's been rumors that Hemingway might run again if Miller doesn't resign, for the sole purpose of ousting Miller and serving a single term. Hemingway is an older legislator (the article on his retirement noted that he had retired from his day job a dozen years ago), and is fairly progressive, though again, not obnoxiously so.
Jonathan Swinton: First Democrat to declare for the 2016 Senate election against Mike Lee. Swinton is the owner of a chain of family counseling clinics. From all appearances, he is moderate, and his wealth and unique career could be useful, but I don't see Swinton getting more than 35% at best. I doubt he'll try for any other office.
Margarita Satini: Candidate for Cottonwood Heights City Council District 1. Satini was just brought to my attention today, so I don't know much about her. She appears to be focusing on themes of "community, transparency, and civic responsibility" in her campaign, which could mean almost anything. I am told she is progressive, and if elected, she may or may not be Utah's first Polynesian-American elected official.
Tracy Harty: Candidate for Salt Lake City District 6. Running against Charlie Luke, and as they are the only ones running, there has been no primary. I don't know much about Harty so I'll leave this blurb at that.
Anyway, that's all the candidates I have been able to keep track of, hope you all enjoyed!