By Jennifer Springer
Salt Lake City, Utah: Five state executive positions were up for election this year in the state of Utah:
Incumbent governor Gary Herbert and running mate Greg Bell ran successfully for re-election on November 6, 2012, defeating Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton (D) and two pairs of minor-party challengers with over 68% of the total vote.[1]
Incumbent treasurer Richard Ellis (R) defeated Christopher Stout and Vincent Marcus to win re-election. Ellis was first elected in 2008.[2]
State auditor candidate John Dougall defeated Mark Sage (D) and Richard Proctor (Constitution) with over 65% of the vote.[3] Incumbent auditor Auston Johnson (R) ran for re-election but lost to Dougall in the primary. Johnson had served in the position since July 1995.
Here are the candidates who won election.[4]
Official Results
Governor
- See also: Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
| Governor of Utah General Election, 2012 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton |
27.7% |
253,514 |
| |
Republican |
 Gary Herbert and Greg Bell Incumbent |
68.4% |
624,678 |
| |
Libertarian |
Ken Larsen and Rob Latham |
2.2% |
19,956 |
| |
Constitution |
Kirk Pearson and Tim Alders |
1.7% |
15,548 |
| Total Votes |
913,696 |
| Election results via State of Utah |
Lieutenant Governor
- See also: Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
| Governor of Utah General Election, 2012 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton |
27.7% |
253,514 |
| |
Republican |
Gary Herbert and Greg Bell Incumbent |
68.4% |
624,678 |
| |
Libertarian |
Ken Larsen and Rob Latham |
2.2% |
19,956 |
| |
Constitution |
Kirk Pearson and Tim Alders |
1.7% |
15,548 |
| Total Votes |
913,696 |
| Election results via State of Utah |
Attorney General
- See also: Utah attorney general election, 2012
| Attorney General of Utah General Election, 2012 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Dee W. Smith |
30.1% |
269,893 |
| |
Republican |
John Swallow |
64.6% |
579,118 |
| |
Libertarian |
W. Andrew McCullough |
5.3% |
47,347 |
| Total Votes |
896,358 |
| Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor (dead link) |
Treasurer
- See also: Utah down ballot state executive elections, 2012
| Utah Treasurer General Election, 2012 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Christopher Stout |
28.1% |
247,277 |
| |
Republican |
Richard Ellis Incumbent |
66.9% |
589,045 |
| |
Libertarian |
Vincent Marcus |
5% |
44,257 |
| Total Votes |
880,579 |
| Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor (dead link) |
Auditor
- See also: Utah down ballot state executive elections, 2012
| Utah State Auditor General Election, 2012 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Mark Sage |
29.5% |
259,576 |
| |
Republican |
John Dougall |
65.4% |
575,677 |
| |
Constitution |
Richard Proctor |
5.2% |
45,373 |
| Total Votes |
880,626 |
| Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor (dead link) |
National picture
States with 2012 executive elections
There were 94 total seats up for election across 22 states this year, including 11 Governors, 9 Lt. Governors, 10 Attorneys General, 7 Secretaries of State and 57 down ballot seats.
- Before the election, 51 of these offices were held by Democrats, 38 were held by Republicans, and the remaining 4 positions were held by non partisan or Independent officers . After the election, Democrats hold 49 (net loss of 2 seats), Republicans 42 (net gain of 4 seats), and Independents/non partisans only 1 (loss of 3).
- Of the 69 incumbents who ran for election in 2012, 7 were defeated-6 Democrat and 1 Republican. Democratic Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau narrowly escaped that fate, having had to wait for her challenger to cancel a self-financed recount on December 11, 2012 before being named the official winner.[5]
- Out of 25 total open seats, 13 were won by Democrats, 11 went to Republican, and 1 went to an Independent (nonpartisan) candidate. In all, there are 34 new state executives as a result of the election.
- From the gubernatorial perspective, after the November 2012 election, there are 30 Republican and 19 Democratic governors.[6] If the GOP had taken five governor seats from Democrats on November 6, that would have given the party 34 -- the most for Republicans since 1922. As of December 2012, the number of Democratic governors in the country is at its lowest since 2001.
| 2012 State Executive Election Partisan Breakdown
|
| Party
|
Before 2012 Election
|
After 2012 Election
|
Net Change
|
| Democratic
|
51
|
50
|
-1
|
| Republican
|
38
|
43
|
+5
|
| Independent (Nonpartisan)
|
4
|
1
|
-3
|
| TOTALS
|
931 vacant
|
94
|
|
| 2012 State Executive Election Analysis
|
| Party
|
Open Seat Winners
|
Defeated Incumbents
|
New State Executives
|
| Democratic
|
13
|
6
|
15
|
| Republican
|
11
|
1
|
18
|
| Independent (Nonpartisan)
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
| TOTALS
|
25
|
7
|
34
|
See also
- ↑ Utah Lieutenant Governor, "Election Results-Governor," accessed November 16, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Utah Lieutenant Governor, "Election Results," accessed November 16, 2012
- ↑ Utah Lieutenant Governor, "Election Results," accessed November 16, 2012
- ↑ Deseret News, "Election Results" accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ The Missoulian, "Welch drops request for recount in school superintendent race," December 12, 2012
- ↑ NPR "Republican Governors Gear Up For Election Gains," October 18, 2012
Peter Cooke
Gary Herbert
Ken Larsen
Kirk Pearson
