Utah, State House, District 59

Utah House of Representatives District 59
Current incumbent	Val Peterson
Population	30,640
Race	88% White, 0% Black, 1% American Indian, 2% Asian, 0% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 6% Other, 4% Two or more races
Ethnicity	83% Not Hispanic, 17% Hispanic
Voting age	67% age 18 and over

Utah's fifty-ninth state house district is represented by Republican Representative Val Peterson.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 30,640 civilians reside within Utah's fifty-ninth state house district. Utah's state representatives represent an average of 36,852 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 29,776 residents.

About the office

Members of the Utah House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Utah legislators assume office the first or second day of session (January).

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Utah House of Representatives, a candidate must be:

A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
25 years old at the filing deadline time
A three-year resident of Utah at the filing deadline time
A resident for 6 months of the senate district from which elected at the filing deadline time
No person holding any public office of profit or trust under authority of the United States, or of this State, can be a member of the House of Representatives, provided, that appointments in the State Militia, and the offices of notary public, justice of the peace, United States commissioner, and postmaster of the fourth class, shall not, within the meaning of this section, be considered offices of profit or trust.
A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:

* A U.S. citizen

* A resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the next election

* At least 18 years old by the next election

* His or her principal place of residence is in a specific voting precinct in Utah.

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$273/day	Up to $100 plus tax/calendar day for lodging allotment; Up to $42/date meal reimbursement. Tied to in-state lodging and meal reimbursement rates.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the house, the Governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. A liaison for the political party that last held the seat must recommend a successor to the Governor. The vacancy must be filled immediately. The person who is selected to the vacant seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

If the vacancy happens after the nominating deadline in an election year, a new candidate must file papers in order to be on the ballot. This is only if the vacancy happens after September 1st and the unfilled term is set to expire at the end of the election. Nominating papers must be filed within 21 days after the vacancy happened.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Utah House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for June 30, 2020. The filing deadline is March 19, 2020.

2018

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 59

Incumbent Val Peterson (R) defeated Gregory Hmura (Independent American Party) in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 59 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Val Peterson (R)	82.9	9,812
	Gregory Hmura (Independent American Party)	17.1	2,026

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 11,838

Democratic primary election

The primary elections were canceled.

Republican primary election

The primary elections were canceled.

2016

Elections for the Utah House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 17, 2016.

Incumbent Val Peterson defeated Rachel Nelson in the Utah House of Representatives District 59 general election.

Utah House of Representatives, District 59 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Val Peterson Incumbent	79.46%	11,065
	Democratic	Rachel Nelson	20.54%	2,861
Total Votes			13,926
Source: Utah Secretary of State

Rachel Nelson ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 59 Democratic primary.

Utah House of Representatives District 59, Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Rachel Nelson (unopposed)

Incumbent Val Peterson ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 59 Republican primary.

Utah House of Representatives District 59, Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Val Peterson Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the Utah House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 20, 2014. Incumbent Val Peterson was unopposed in the Republican convention. Peterson was unopposed in the general election.

2012

Elections for the office of Utah House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on June 26, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Republican incumbent Val Peterson defeated Libertarian Kenny Barlow and Constitution Party candidate Benjamin Norton in the general election. Peterson was unopposed in the Republican primary election.

Utah House of Representatives, District 59, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Val Peterson Incumbent	85.3%	9,971
	Libertarian	Kenny Barlow	7.5%	880
	Constitution	Benjamin Norton	7.2%	840
Total Votes			11,691

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Utah House of Representatives District 59 raised a total of $308,082. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $16,215 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Utah House of Representatives District 59

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$63,212	2	$31,606
2014	$30,581	1	$30,581
2012	$23,945	3	$7,982
2010	$38,141	3	$12,714
2008	$57,465	2	$28,733
2006	$10,341	2	$5,171
2004	$51,719	3	$17,240
2002	$6,015	1	$6,015
2000	$26,663	2	$13,332
Total	$308,082	19	$16,215