Ashlee Matthews

Ashlee Matthews

Democratic Party

Utah House of Representatives District 37

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Carol Moss

Prior offices

Utah House of Representatives District 38

Successor: Cheryl K. Acton

Predecessor: Eric Hutchings

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Compensation

Base salary

$293.55/legislative day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

West Valley City, Utah

Profession

Nonprofit executive

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Ashlee Matthews (Democratic Party) is a member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing District 37. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Matthews (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 37. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Ashlee Matthews was born in West Valley, Utah. Matthews' career experience includes working with the Utah Department of Transportation and as the director of events of and co-founding The Single Parent Project. She has served as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and a Giving Tree coordinator for the UA Local 140 Ladies Auxiliary.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Matthews was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Business and Labor Committee
• House Ethics Committee, Co-Chair
• House Rules Committee
• Transportation Committee

2021-2022

Matthews was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business and Labor Committee
• Transportation Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Ashlee Matthews defeated Paul Johnson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)	54.7	6,541
	Submit photo	Paul Johnson (R)	45.3	5,409

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,950
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ashlee Matthews advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 37.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Paul Johnson advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 37.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Ashlee Matthews advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on March 30, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Paul Johnson advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on April 13, 2024.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Paul Johnson (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Matthews in this election.

Pledges

Matthews signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Ashlee Matthews defeated Henry Medina in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)	56.8	4,644
	Submit photo	Henry Medina (R)	43.2	3,534

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,178
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ashlee Matthews advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 37.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Henry Medina advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 37.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Ashlee Matthews advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on April 9, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37

Henry Medina advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 37 on April 9, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Henry Medina (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 38

Ashlee Matthews defeated incumbent Eric Hutchings in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)	51.7	6,143
		Eric Hutchings (R)	48.3	5,747

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,890
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38

Ashlee Matthews advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Ashlee Matthews (D)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38

Incumbent Eric Hutchings advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Eric Hutchings (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ashlee Matthews did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Ashlee Matthews did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Ashlee Matthews completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Matthews' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Ashlee Matthews, and I am running to represent my friends and neighbors in the working class neighborhood of House District 38.

I have had the opportunity to serve the public for the last nine years in my work for the Utah Department of Transportation, and my husband is a Union Pipefitter. Together we are raising our two small boys in the home that my husband grew up in, in the neighborhood of Oquirrh Shadows.

I have had the opportunity to serve my community in several capacities, and look forward to using my experience to make sure that all of Utah's working class families have a seat at the table. Being a working Mom I understand the obstacles that many working families face day-to-day.

The issues that I am fighting for are not partisan issues, rather they are working family issues. I will bring a fresh set of eyes and a fresh set of ideas to tackle the issues facing everyday working families, and I will work tirelessly to solve them.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable daycare and after school programs
• Expanding transportation and accessibility to the West side
• Liveable wages and healthcare for all workers

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Transportation and accessibility

Public education funding
Ratifying the ERA

Establishing a state prevailing wage

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by strong, stubborn, smart women and always have been. I was raised in a family full of men and women who helped me understand that you never stop learning, and you never stop moving, take care of those less fortunate than you are, and as the saying goes: "if you're not at the table you're on the menu".

I will work to ensure that I always save a seat for marginalized communities at the tables to which I am sitting. I believe it will be my duty to represent everyone,  which can only happen by keeping lines of communication open to build trust and respect and save space and amplify the voices for those who have been underserved and disenfranchised.

I look forward to the opportunity.  

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I am not sure I could sum it up in just one. As the saying goes, "I am a sum of all parts". There are many politicians, leaders, and thinkers who have influenced me in my life and in building my political philosophy.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Communication is first and foremost. If you aren't engaged in your community and in tune to the needs and the thoughts of the people who selected you to represent them, then you probably are in the wrong line of work.
The ability to work with people, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. If you have been hired to do a job, you do it and you do it well.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am honest, almost to a fault. I am transparent and open in communication.

I am not afraid to try something new, and I have never been one to back down from a challenge.

I am coming into this process not as a politician, but as a member of the community who has a desire to bring real change by representing the issues and the people in the community that my family and I live in.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Respect. Responsiveness. Communication. Honesty. Transparent.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Hermione Granger: She's smart, she's brave, she's honest and she's loyal.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

I absolutely believe that it is beneficial, and even vital, to build relationships with other legislators. The impacts of the choices that are made and the bills and laws that are passed will be felt by all of Utah's residents, so making sure that everyone can work together, even if they don't agree, is essential.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

There are several women in our current Legislative body that I admire for their tenacity and their drive.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

NO

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Ashlee Matthews campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah House of Representatives District 37	Won general	$81,548	$-61,761
2022	Utah House of Representatives District 37	Won general	$37,750	$-28,389
2020	Utah House of Representatives District 38	Won general	$44,621	N/A**
Grand total			$163,919	$-90,150
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Utah

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Utah scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 16 to March 1. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Utah Cultural Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities. Utah Education Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 17 to March 3. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Utah Cultural Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 18 to March 4. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Utah Cultural Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 19 to March 5. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Leap Forward Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the organization chose to evaluate. Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

See also

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Candidate

Utah House of Representatives District 37

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Utah House of Representatives District 37

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Carol Moss (D)	Utah House of Representatives District 37 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Eric Hutchings (R)	Utah House of Representatives District 38 2021-2023	Succeeded by Cheryl K. Acton (R)

[show]

Current members of the Utah House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Mike Schultz

Majority Leader:Casey Snider

Minority Leader:Angela Romero

Representatives

District 1

Thomas Peterson (R)

District 2

Mike Petersen (R)

District 3

Jason Thompson (R)

District 4

Tiara Auxier (R)

District 5

Casey Snider (R)

District 6

Matt Gwynn (R)

District 7

Ryan Wilcox (R)

District 8

Jason Kyle (R)

District 9

Jake Sawyer (R)

District 10

Jill Koford (R)

District 11

Katy Hall (R)

District 12

Mike Schultz (R)

District 13

Karen Peterson (R)

District 14

Karianne Lisonbee (R)

District 15

Ariel Defay (R)

District 16

Trevor Lee (R)

District 17

Stewart Barlow (R)

District 18

Paul Cutler (R)

District 19

Raymond Ward (R)

District 20

Melissa Ballard (R)

District 21

Sandra Hollins (D)

District 22

Jen Dailey-Provost (D)

District 23

Hoang Nguyen (D)

District 24

Grant Miller (D)

District 25

Angela Romero (D)

District 26

Matt MacPherson (R)

District 27

Anthony Loubet (R)

District 28

Nicholeen Peck (R)

District 29

Bridger Bolinder (R)

District 30

Jake Fitisemanu (D)

District 31

Verona Mauga (D)

District 32

Sahara Hayes (D)

District 33

Doug Owens (D)

District 34

Carol Moss (D)

District 35

Rosalba Dominguez (D)

District 36

Jim Dunnigan (R)

District 37

Ashlee Matthews (D)

District 38

Cheryl Acton (R)

District 39

Ken Ivory (R)

District 40

Andrew Stoddard (D)

District 41

Gay Lynn Bennion (D)

District 42

Clint Okerlund (R)

District 43

Steven Eliason (R)

District 44

Jordan Teuscher (R)

District 45

Tracy Miller (R)

District 46

Cal Roberts (R)

District 47

Mark Strong (R)

District 48

Doug Fiefia (R)

District 49

Candice Pierucci (R)

District 50

Stephanie Gricius (R)

District 51

Leah Hansen (R)

District 52

Cory Maloy (R)

District 53

Kay Christofferson (R)

District 54

Kristen Chevrier (R)

District 55

Jon Hawkins (R)

District 56

Val Peterson (R)

District 57

Nelson Abbott (R)

District 58

David Shallenberger (R)

District 59

Mike Kohler (R)

District 60

Tyler Clancy (R)

District 61

Lisa Shepherd (R)

District 62

Norman Thurston (R)

District 63

Stephen Whyte (R)

District 64

Jefferson Burton (R)

District 65

Doug Welton (R)

District 66

Troy Shelley (R)

District 67

Christine Watkins (R)

District 68

Scott Chew (R)

District 69

Logan Monson (R)

District 70

Carl Albrecht (R)

District 71

Rex Shipp (R)

District 72

Joseph Elison (R)

District 73

Colin Jack (R)

District 74

Neil Walter (R)

District 75

Walt Brooks (R)

Republican Party (61)

Democratic Party (14)