Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks appears headed to reelection based on early returns, while Republican Tina Cannon is poised to replace her boss as Utah’s new state auditor.
Oaks had 60.64% of the vote as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Oaks was appointed to the office in 2021 by Gov. Spencer Cox and first won a special election two years ago. Democratic nominee Neil Hansen, a former state legislator, had 34.39% and Miles Pomeroy, the nominee of the Utah Forward Party, had 4.97%.
During his time in office, Oaks has been an outspoken critic of so-called “woke investing,” or basing whether to invest or not invest on an “environmental, social and governance score.” Oaks spent $38,000 on his race, compared to Hansen who spent $100 and Pomeroy who spent about $1,000.
Cannon, meanwhile, is headed toward victory over Democrat Catherine Voutaz and Constitution Party nominee Jeffrey Ostler, early returns show. Cannon had 59.73% of the voter to 35.72 for Voutaz and 4.56% for Ostler as of 10:30 p.m.
Cannon is currently a deputy under State Auditor John Dougall, who opted to run for Congress this year rather than seek a fourth term in office. Cannon won the Republican primary over Ricky Hatch, the Weber County clerk.
