Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)

	← 2020
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Utah
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: January 8, 2024
	Primary: June 25, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in Utah
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican; Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2024; Impact of term limits in 2024; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
Utah; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Auditor; Treasurer; State Board of Education (8 seats)

Utah 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • School boards • How to run for office

Incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox (R) defeated Phil Lyman (R) in the Republican primary for Governor of Utah on June 25, 2024. Cox received 59.5% of the vote, and Lyman received 40.5%.

Candidates in Utah may qualify for a primary ballot through a petition process or by winning at least 40% of delegates' votes at a convention. Cox qualified through the petition process.^[1] Lyman defeated Cox 67.5% to 32.5% in the second round of voting at the state's Republican Nominating Convention in April 2024.^[2]

According to The Deseret News, Cox "was met with some applause and a chorus of boos" at the convention.^[3] Following the convention, Cox said, "I love the caucus-convention system. I believe in the caucus convention system, I always have, I think it’s really important and unique."^[4] In response to his nomination, Lyman said, "I don't take any votes for granted. I know that I have to work hard to earn every single vote and that delegates are some of the most involved patriots in our state."^[5]

Cox, at the time of the election, had been in office since 2021.^[6] He defeated Chris Peterson (D) 63.0% to 30.3% in the 2020 general election. According to The Deseret News, Cox "made headlines [in 2020] for a video he made with [the] Democratic nominee" where they "express their shared commitment to democratic values and mutual respect."^[7] Cox represented District 58 in the Utah House of Representatives in 2013. During his first term in the state House, when then-Governor Gary Herbert (R) selected him to serve as lieutenant governor following the Gregory Bell's resignation. ^[8] Before serving in public office, Cox was the vice president and general counsel of CentraCom Interactive.^[9]

Cox said his campaign would focus on his gubernatorial record: "What I know is we have overwhelming support all across the state and it's because we get things done. Because we're working hard. We're keeping the promises we made four years ago. And so what matters to me is the people can see that when they vote in the primary and in November."^[10]

Lyman represented District 69 in the Utah House of Representatives. He previously served as the Commissioner for San Juan County, Utah. Lyman also owned the accounting firm Phil Lyman Financial Advisory Services, LLC.^[11] In December 2020, President Donald Trump (R) pardoned Lyman of misdemeanor charges from organizing an illegal ATV ride in protest of federal land management practices.^[12] Lyman was sentenced to 10 days in jail, three years probation, and ordered to pay restitution.^[13]

Lyman said his arrest in 2015 inspired him to run for governor: “What compelled me to run for state legislature and for the governor’s office is watching the government unjustly hurt people and take away their stuff, and fighting that fight at the county level got me charged with a federal misdemeanor trespass charge.”^[14]

In Utah, gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates run as a ticket. Cox named Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson (R) as his running mate, while Lyman selected Natalie Clawson (R).^[15]

This is one of 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. There are currently 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. There are 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

This page focuses on Utah's Republican Party gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Utah's Democratic gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Governor

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Utah

Incumbent Spencer Cox defeated Phil Lyman in the Republican primary for Governor of Utah on June 25, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Spencer Cox	59.5	149,361
	Phil Lyman	40.5	101,761

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 251,122
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Scott Robbins (R)
Sylvia Miera Fisk (R)

Lieutenant governor

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Utah

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Deidre Henderson	59.4	150,231
	Natalie Clawson	40.6	102,837

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 253,068
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Layne Bangerter (R)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Utah

Election information in Utah: June 25, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: June 25, 2024
By mail: Received by June 14, 2024
Online: June 14, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: June 25, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by June 24, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

June 11, 2024 to June 21, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Spencer Cox

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Governor of Utah (Assumed office: 2021)
Lieutenant Governor of Utah (2013-2021)
Utah House of Representatives District 58 (2013)

Biography: Cox received a bachelor's degree from Utah State University and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. Before serving in public office, Cox was the vice president and general counsel of CentraCom Interactive.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Cox said he had a record of delivering for Utahns in his first term as governor through tax cuts, safeguarding the state's water and natural resources, and increasing education options for parents.

On immigration, Cox said he would prioritize changing the asylum system: "We need to make it much harder to make an invalid claim and we need to process the claims much faster."

Cox said he "worked with federal land management agencies throughout his first term [as governor] to ensure that federal actions are consistent with [Utah's] resource management plan."

Show sources

Sources: Spencer Cox Campaign Website, "Results," accessed May 12, 2024; The Salt Lake Tribune, "We asked Utah's 2024 governor candidates about immigration. Here's what they said," April 24, 2024; Spencer Cox Campaign Website, "Fighting Federal Overreach," accessed May 12, 2024; LinkedIn, "Spencer Cox," accessed May 12, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Utah in 2024.

Phil Lyman

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Utah House of Representatives District 69 (Assumed office: 2023)
San Juan County, Utah Commissioner (2011-2019)

Biography: Lyman received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a master's degree from the University of Utah. Lyman's professional experience included owning the accounting firm Phil Lyman Financial Advisory Services, LLC.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Lyman said he would "make sure Utah is a strong state that can act as a bulwark between you and our overreaching federal government."

On immigration, Lyman said he would "start with detaining noncitizens who are arrested and would disregard the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations for those who have violated Utah laws."

Lyman said he would work to reinstate the office of Secretary of State in Utah to "have someone who oversees the elections who is not also basically the Governor."

Show sources

Sources: X/Twitter, "Phil Lyman," March 1, 2024; The Salt Lake City Tribune, "We asked Utah's 2024 governor candidates about immigration. Here's what they said," April 24, 2024; Town Lift, "Gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman breaks down his campaign," February 6, 2024; LinkedIn, "Phil Lyman," accessed May 12, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Utah in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Spencer Cox

April 15, 2024

View more ads here:

Phil Lyman

October 30, 2023

View more ads here:

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia researchers did not identify any candidate websites that provide endorsement information. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.^[16] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."^[17] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.

FiveThirtyEight

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[18]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[19]^[20]^[21]

*DDHQ*

Race ratings: Utah gubernatorial election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	July 9, 2024	July 2, 2024	June 25, 2024	June 18, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the State of Utah Elections Office. Click here to access those reports.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in Utah and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Utah, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Utah's 1st	Blake Moore	Republican	R+12
Utah's 2nd	Celeste Maloy	Republican	R+11
Utah's 3rd	John Curtis	Republican	R+13
Utah's 4th	Burgess Owens	Republican	R+16

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Utah^[22]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Utah's 1st	37.9%	57.8%
Utah's 2nd	39.5%	56.7%
Utah's 3rd	38.3%	57.5%
Utah's 4th	34.8%	60.7%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 62.2% of Utahns lived in one of the state's 26 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 37.5% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Salt Lake and Summit. Overall, Utah was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Utah following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Utah county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	26	62.2%
Trending Democratic	2	37.5%
New Democratic	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	3	37.8%
Total voted Republican	26	62.2%

Historical voting trends

Utah presidential election results (1900-2020)

7 Democratic wins
24 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Utah

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Utah.

U.S. Senate election results in Utah
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	53.2%	42.7% (Independent)
2018	62.6%	30.9%
2016	68.1%	27.1%
2012	65.3%	30.0%
2010	61.6%	32.8%
Average	62.7	32.9

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Utah

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Utah.

Gubernatorial election results in Utah
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	63.0%	30.3%
2016	66.7%	28.7%
2012	68.4%	27.6%
2010	77.6%	19.7%
2008	57.7%	41.3%
Average	66.7	29.5

See also: Party control of Utah state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Utah's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Utah
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	4	6
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	4	6

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Utah's top three state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Utah, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Spencer Cox
Lieutenant Governor	Deidre Henderson
Attorney General	Sean D. Reyes

State legislature

Utah State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	6
	Republican Party	23
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		29

Utah House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	14
	Republican Party	60
	Other	0
	Vacancies	1
Total		75

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until 2024.

Utah Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

The table below details demographic data in Utah and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Utah
	Utah	United States
Population	3,271,616	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	82,595	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	82.4%	65.9%
Black/African American	1.1%	12.5%
Asian	2.4%	5.8%
Native American	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.9%	0.2%
Two or more	6.8%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	14.6%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	93.2%	89.1%
College graduation rate	36.1%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$86,833	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	5.7%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**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 census here.

State profile

Demographic data for Utah
	Utah	U.S.
Total population:	2,990,632	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	82,170	3,531,905
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) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here 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 census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Utah

Utah voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

More Utah coverage on Ballotpedia

Election Context

Utah gubernatorial election history

2024

See also: Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of Utah

The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Utah on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Spencer Cox (R)
		Brian King (D)
		Tommy Williams (Independent American Party)
		J. Robert Latham (L)
		Tom Tomeny (Unaffiliated)
		Charlie Tautuaa (Independent) (Write-in)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.