Karen Mayne, former top Democratic state senator and blue-collar champion, dies

In one of her final appearances at the Utah Capitol, former Senate Minority Leader Karen Mayne and the self-proclaimed “funniest senator” stood on the floor with fellow lawmakers to laugh — and cry — one last time.

As her ex-colleagues gave her a standing ovation, Mayne heaved herself out of her wheelchair to crack a joke, and tell them, “Thank you, I miss you all, and I’ve enjoyed so much being here.”

A month before that February 2023 floor time, during which senators passed a law enforcement scholarship bill named in her honor, Mayne had resigned from the seat she held for 15 years after her battle with cancer took an unexpected turn for the worse. She was diagnosed with cancer in January 2022 after visiting the doctor for a broken shoulder.

The Senate announced late Thursday night that Mayne had died earlier that day. She was 78 years old.

Mayne stepped into public office in 2007 to replace her husband, labor union icon Ed Mayne, who also died of cancer. Combined, the Maynes represented residents of the Salt Lake Valley’s west side for nearly three decades.

In a 2021 video produced by the Senate, Mayne recounted that for years, she and her husband would work together to care for their two children, while managing their home and his civic duties.

“Every Sunday night, we would sit down the table,” Mayne recollected in the video. “OK, you’re going to speak here, I’m going to go here, take the kids here. So we worked together, and he always told me, ‘You’re a better politician. You should really run.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not my time.’”

Mayne knew it was her time to take on the responsibility of advocating for the Salt Lake County Senate district when her husband became sick, she said. Her district covered West Valley City, Kearns and Taylorsville.

“I remember we went into the doctor’s office, and the doctor said, ‘You’re terminal and you’ve got cancer,’” Mayne said. “And he sat in the car, and he said, ‘It’s your turn. It’s time for you.’ And I said, ‘Yes, it’s time for me.’”

Blue-collar champion

In her time in the Senate, Mayne was known as a champion for blue-collar workers, winning multiple awards for fighting for workplace safety, and her work was regularly recognized by labor unions. In her full-time job as a para-educator, she was a member of the American Federation of Teachers union.

Jennifer Seelig, a former state representative who served in the Legislature with Ed and Karen Mayne, described attending a ceremony at Salt Lake Community College’s Westpointe Center, which offers skilled trade classes, where a portion of the center was being named after Karen Mayne to commemorate her work.

While walking through the halls, a woman in welding gear, who Seelig said had spoken with the senator previously, approached Mayne to thank her for helping her find job opportunities in the trades.

“Because of [Mayne],” Seelig said, “she had pursued those opportunities and was becoming a welder.”

From the perspective of lobbyist David Spatafore, who knew the Maynes for nearly 50 years, the senator’s lasting impact on Utah will be her advocacy for blue-collar Utahns.

“She wanted to represent and make a better life for those who go in and punch a time clock every day,” he said, “and may have a hard time making their mortgage payment or their rent payment every month.”

It was her effort to protect working Utahns that led to her success in the Legislature, Spatafore said. “That’s why she rose into being minority leader, and that’s why she’s very well-loved and respected by her colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle.”

Mayne worked to secure funding for various programs at Salt Lake Community College, including support for technical scholarships and for students pursuing a job in K-12 education, said the school’s former president, Deneece Huftalin.

“I don’t think there’s anyone that has advocated more consistently than Sen. Mayne for working-class, really important skilled jobs in our community,” Huftalin said, " ... and how much credit we should be giving the people that are doing those jobs.”

Bipartisan praises

In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson wrote, “Karen was a friend and mentor to me during my 8 years in the Utah Senate. She was a genuinely compassionate woman who cared deeply about others, faithfully served her constituents and our state, and was one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

“Today, we lost an extraordinary stateswoman and one of our dearest friends,” read a joint statement from Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City. “Sen. Karen Mayne was a trailblazer and exceptional leader who showed us how working together, despite political differences, can strengthen our state.”

The Senate leaders’ statement continued, “Throughout her 15 years as a senator, she has passionately and successfully advocated for impactful improvements for our state. She was one of the most effective legislators and consistently passed the most bills during sessions.”

Spatafore estimated she passed 76% of the legislation she ran, a difficult feat for a member of the minority party. Adams told The Salt Lake Tribune that one year, while she was senator, Mayne passed the most pieces of legislation in that session.

“She truly cared more about people than issues,” he said. “I believe she [was] sincerely concerned about those around her. And that speaks volumes.”

When Mayne returned to the Senate floor in 2023, just as many Republicans as Democrats stood to express their admiration for the longtime senator. Among them was Adams, who, overcome with emotion, called her “one of my best friends.”

Mayne’s children accompanied her on that trip to the Capitol, where Sen. Karen Kwan, then newly elected to take Mayne’s place, said with her voice trembling, “I just want her to know, also, when I’m up here, I think, ‘What would Karen do?’ And I try to follow her lead still.”