Incumbent Randy Boothe is leading challenger Cari Bartholomew Tuesday in a Republican primary contest that will decide the representative of District 13 on the Utah State Board of Education.
According to early, unofficial returns, as of 10:15 p.m., Boothe captured 56.04% of the vote for the district, which covers part of Utah County.
Boothe is seeking a second term in what is perhaps the most contentious race among the slate of state school board primary contests. Controversy swirled around Bartholomew after her husband, conservative radio host Adam Bartholomew, posted a video showing students walking out of a Payson middle school protesting alleged “furries.”
The school district repeatedly denied the claims in the video that “furry” students were “biting” and “scratching” other students. After the video was posted, the school faced multiple hoax bomb threats. Officials believed the threats were linked to the viral “furry outrage” stoked by the posts.
District 13 is one of two board races to be decided in the Republican primary. The other is District 15, which covers Piute, Wayne, Kane, Washington, Garfield and San Juan counties.
In that race, challenger Joann Brinton was pulling ahead of incumbent Kristan Norton with 64.90% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.
Eight of the 15 seats on the partisan state board are up for grabs this year.
In addition to the two seats that will be decided by primary voters, there are three other Republican primary races to determine who will advance to the general election. Another three seats — Districts 6, 9 and 12 — do not have a primary will be decided in November.
Early primary results
In District 3, which covers, east Layton, Clearfield and nearby cities, challenger Rod Hall was striding ahead of incumbent Brent Strate with 55.30% of the vote, according to early, unofficial returns. The winner will face off against Utah Forward candidate Laura Johnson in November.
Meanwhile, in District 7, which covers portions of Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights and Midvale, incumbent Molly Hart was leading challenger Kris Kimball with 57.18% of the vote. The winner will face off against Democrat John Arthur for a chance at the seat in the general election.
District 10 incumbent Matt Hymas was outpacing Monica Wilbur with 54.29% of the vote in a district that covers a majority of Tooele County, according to early returns. The winner will take on Democratic candidate Deborah Gatrell this fall.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) State school board District 10 candidate Monica Wilbur, left, stands with state school board member Natalie Cline at an election night party in Highland, Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
