After three consecutive Utah Attorneys General marked by scandal, voters have selected a new leader of the state’s legal affairs. Republican Derek Brown secured victory with a wide lead in initial vote counts.
Only Democratic challenger Rudy Bautista drew significant votes. United Utah Party candidate Michelle Quist, as well as Libertarian Andrew McCullough and unaffiliated candidate Austin Hepworth, were all in single-digit percentages.
Brown also emerged victorious from a crowded three-way GOP primary in June and on election night thanked all of his opponents throughout the campaign.
“I've had a lot of opponents in this race, and I appreciate positivity, I appreciate the hard work,” he told a crowd of supporters at the Utah Republican Party election night watch party in Draper. “They forced us to work even harder, and sometimes that's a good thing as a candidate. It forces you to really be clear about why you are running.”
One thing all of the candidates focused on during the election, including Brown, was turning away from controversy and scandal. Former Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff were investigated for fraud by the FBI in 2014. Current Attorney General Sean Reyes has also been under scrutiny due to his involvement with disgraced Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard, as well as his refusal to release his official work calendars despite a judge’s order to do so.
Brown wants to turn the page on past scandals and steer the office into new territory, making it into “the most effective, the most efficient, the most prestigious law firm in the state of Utah.”
“When that works well, everything in state government that depends on the Attorney General also works well.”
In a written statement sent to KUER, Bautista said he was “certain [Brown] will be an excellent Attorney General who will bring honor back to that office while protecting our rights.”
“I am so grateful for all those who supported me and I loved the opportunity to serve this great state,” he said.
Brown will inherit landmark lawsuits the state has filed against the federal government over control of millions of acres of Utah’s public lands, as well as social media companies.
United Utah Party Candidate Michelle Quist is a former Republican and had been critical of Brown over his past representation of social media companies and had hoped to offer an alternative to the Republican status quo.
Quist said in a statement that her campaign was built on ”the belief that the people of Utah deserve an Attorney General that champions transparency, accountability, and ethical reform.”
“This campaign was about more than a single election; it was about offering voters a new path forward, one rooted in values of integrity and dedicated public service,” she said. “Though this may not be the victory we sought, the impact of this campaign will continue.”
Looking toward the future, Brown said, for his part, transparency will be a cornerstone of his time in office.
“If [the people] know what you're doing, then they know what they can count on, they know what they can rely on,” he said. “And if you're effective at what you do, and you create transparency, I think that trust is just a natural outgrowth of that.”
Brown will be sworn into office on Jan 6.
