A chaotic Election Day in Republican-dominated Utah came to a close with few surprise results.
Voters across the state faced long lines and waited hours to cast ballots — with some in Utah and Washington counties still queued nearly two hours after polls officially closed at 8 p.m. Utah County, whose clerk encouraged in-person voting, also battled empty magenta ink cartridges and a lack of paper in order to print the necessary emergency ballots.
These holdups meant the Beehive State’s first early returns weren’t published until 10:15 p.m., after the lieutenant governor vowed to keep results under wraps until all Utahns in line had voted.
Early returns, as of 11:30 p.m., showed Republican Gov. Spencer Cox was victorious in his second (and apparently final) bid for governor, beating out both Democratic challenger Brian King and Republican Phil Lyman’s write-in campaign.
U.S. Rep. John Curtis, a Republican, cruised to victory and will fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by Mitt Romney, who did not run for reelection. Republican Michael Kennedy will take Curtis’ old job.
Here’s how the other races stand:
Utah voters choose former President Donald Trump for third time in a row
Rep. Blake Moore wins reelection in Utah’s 1st Congressional District
Republican Burgess Owens cruises to a third term in Utah’s 4th Congressional District
Marlo Oaks headed for reelection as Utah treasurer; Tina Cannon on pace to win auditor race
Here’s what early returns show for six Utah state school board races
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson claims victory in bid for second term
Salt Lake City early returns show support for $730M bond to upgrade West, Highland highs
Salt Lake County residents on track to reauthorize ZAP tax, early returns show
$507M bond to bolster public safety, address homelessness in Salt Lake County in tight contest
For live election results, visit sltrib.com/politics/election.
For a recap from Tribune journalists reporting throughout Tuesday, check sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/11/05/utah-election-live-updates-2024.