Polls have closed, votes are being tabulated, and Democratic Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson holds a commanding lead over Republican challenger Erin Rider in the race that will determine who will lead Utah’s most populous county for the next four years.
By late Wednesday afternoon, early unofficial returns showed Wilson, who is seeking a second full term, with 57.6% of the vote. Rider, a Salt Lake City-based corporate attorney, had captured 42.4% of the vote.
Wilson jumped out to an early lead over Rider as the first returns posted Tuesday night. Those results were convincing enough for the incumbent mayor to claim victory, but as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Rider had not conceded.
“I’m very committed to the work that I’m doing. [I] made a choice a year ago to step up and do this again,” Wilson said. “It’s like any job interview — you need to put your best foot forward and hope for the best, and it looks like I’ll be returning, and I’m pleased. I’m really happy to be coming back.”
Rider said Wednesday afternoon that there are still too many outstanding ballots for results to be conclusive.
“At this point,” she said, “we’re just watching the results and waiting for things to come in.”
Wilson became Salt Lake County’s first female Democratic mayor in January 2019 after serving 10 years on the County Council. She replaced former Democratic Mayor Ben McAdams when he left the position to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional District. Wilson was elected in 2020 to a full four-year term.
Rider unsuccessfully ran against former U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart in a 2022 bid to capture the GOP nomination for the state’s 2nd Congressional District. If elected, Rider would become Salt Lake County’s first Republican mayor since 2005.
Salt Lake County Council
Salt Lake County voters also weighed in on four County Council seats that were up for grabs. Right now, Republicans hold a 5-4 edge.
In the race to determine who will represent the council’s at-large “C” seat — one of three countywide seats on the nine-member, partisan council — Democrat Natalie Pinkney was leading Republican Rachelle Morris. The seat is currently held by longtime Democratic council member Jim Bradley, who decided against seeking another six-year term.
As of Wednesday morning, Pinkney, a South Salt Lake City Council member, had captured 52.6% of the vote. Morris, co-founder of Utah-based venture fund RevRoad Capital, had 47.4% of the vote.
In the race to represent District 2 on the council, unofficial returns showed Republican Carlos Moreno leading Democrat Katie Olson with 51.9% of the vote.
The district, which includes Magna, Kearns, and portions of West Valley City, West Jordan, South Jordan and Herriman, is currently represented by Republican Dave Alvord, who decided not to seek reelection to a second four-year term.
In the race to replace outgoing Democratic council member Ann Granato in District 4, which covers portions of Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake and Murray, along with all of Holladay, Millcreek and Emigration Canyon, unofficial returns showed Democrat Ross Romero pulling ahead of Republican Roger Livingston and Utah Forward candidate Nolan Kruse.
Romero had captured 65.1% of the vote, while Livingston trailed with 31.5% and Kruse followed with 3.4%.
In the contest that will decide who will represent District 6, which covers a swath of the southeastern part of the county and includes Sandy and portions of Cottonwood Heights, Republican incumbent Dea Theodore was leading her opponent, Democratic Sandy City Council member Zach Robinson, according to unofficial returns.
As of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Theodore had captured 51.3% of the vote in her bid for a second term.
