Cabot Nelson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Cabot Nelson

Utah Forward Party

Candidate, Utah House of Representatives District 23

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next convention

April 11, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Utah, 1996

Personal

Birthplace

Utah

Religion

Humanist Atheist

Profession

Consultant

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Cabot Nelson (Utah Forward Party) is running for election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 23. He declared candidacy for the Utah Forward Party convention scheduled on April 11, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Cabot Nelson was born in Utah. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1996. His career experience includes working as a consultant.

Elections

2026

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 23, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Incumbent Hoang Nguyen (D) and Michael Farrell (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on June 23, 2026.

		Candidate
		Hoang Nguyen
		Michael Farrell

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Franklin Robinson (R) is running in the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on June 23, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Franklin Robinson

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Incumbent Hoang Nguyen (D) and Michael Farrell (D) are running in the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 25, 2026.

		Candidate
		Hoang Nguyen
		Michael Farrell

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Franklin Robinson (R) is running in the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 18, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Franklin Robinson

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Judy Darby (R)

Utah Forward Party convention

Utah Forward convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Cabot Nelson (Utah Forward Party) is running in the Utah Forward Party convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 11, 2026.

		Candidate
		Cabot Nelson

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Hoang Nguyen defeated Scott Romney and Cabot Nelson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hoang Nguyen (D)	71.7	17,821
		Scott Romney (R)	26.4	6,566
		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)	1.9	481

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,868
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Hoang Nguyen defeated Jeff Howell in the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hoang Nguyen	56.3	2,283
		Jeff Howell	43.7	1,769

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,052
= 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.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Scott Romney advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23.

United Utah Party primary election

The United Utah Party primary election was canceled. Cabot Nelson advanced from the United Utah Party primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Hoang Nguyen defeated Jeff Howell in the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hoang Nguyen (D)	57.4	39
		Jeff Howell (D)	42.6	29

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Scott Romney advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Scott Romney (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. 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.
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United Utah Party convention

United Utah Party convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Cabot Nelson advanced from the United Utah Party convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)

---

	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 Nelson in this election.

2022

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Incumbent Brian King defeated Ruth Abbott and Cabot Nelson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian King (D)	76.6	16,087
		Ruth Abbott (R)	20.9	4,386
		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)	2.5	535

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,008
= 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 Brian King advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Ruth Abbott advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23.

United Utah Party primary election

The United Utah Party primary election was canceled. Cabot Nelson advanced from the United Utah Party primary for Utah House of Representatives District 23.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Incumbent Brian King advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Brian King (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 23

Ruth Abbott advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Ruth Abbott (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.

United Utah Party convention

United Utah Party convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23

Cabot Nelson advanced from the United Utah Party convention for Utah House of Representatives District 23 on April 16, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)

---

	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 25

Incumbent Joel Briscoe defeated Karel Mcdonough and Cabot Nelson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 25 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joel Briscoe (D)	82.8	16,475
	Submit photo	Karel Mcdonough (R)	14.2	2,827
		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)	3.0	607

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,909
= 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 25

Incumbent Joel Briscoe advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 25 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Joel Briscoe (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 25

Karel Mcdonough advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 25 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Karel Mcdonough (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.

2018

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 25

Incumbent Joel Briscoe defeated Cabot Nelson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 25 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joel Briscoe (D)	91.1	14,976
		Cabot Nelson (United Utah Party)	8.9	1,458

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,434
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gary Gabrielson (R)

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cabot Nelson has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Cabot Nelson, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Cabot Nelson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nelson's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lifelong resident of Utah, living in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City for 25 years. Husband and father of two boys in local public schools. I work in financial technology as a compliance consultant and delivery engineer.

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?

• Electoral reform: We desperately need to break the two-party duopoly.
• Permit fusion candidacies. Change ballot counting to ranked choice voting, Condorcet voting, approval voting...anything beside our current first-past-the-post plurality. Other good ideas include proportional representation, multimember districts, or a nonpartisan blanket primary (like California).
• I'm a proud moderate. If expected to select points of agreement with the two major parties, I would more likely agree with the Democratic Party, but not with the social-justice warrior culture of the extreme left. I cannot stand the shocking extremism of the debased Republican Party and firmly reject Christian Nationalism.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Electoral reform. Inequality. Universal basic income.

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

Two guiding quotes serve as my beacons:

Personally: “I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.” - Baruch Spinoza

To understand the rot of the Republican Party: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” - Commentator Frank Wilhoit (not the political scientist)

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

Honesty, integrity, and the ability to communicate and accept complex ideas. Social media performances are abysmal, albeit fun.

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

I'm honest and earnest.

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

Communication and openness, not to be beholden to a donor class or dark money.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I had contributed to our social institutions and made the world a better place.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Our bicentennial, July 4, 1976. I remember the "Spirit of '76" buttons and banners.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Sold hot dogs at Rice Stadium at the U of U. I went from selling drinks, selling hot dogs, then joined the U of U Marching Band.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Geography of Nowhere by J. H. Kuntsler. It's a polemic about our urban settlements. It is a bit dated now, though.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Pebble Beach by Vince Guaraldi

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A coalition where a majority is not beholden to a single party.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Environment, especially the loss of the Great Salt Lake. We may be at a tipping point with the GSL combined with a potential brain drain due to right-wing policies regarding women's reproductive rights.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. Politics and governance require skill and experience. Social media goons are not good at governing.

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

Absolutely! They are not just representing their districts, but the state as a whole.

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

No

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

No

Tell us your favorite joke.

My son told me this clean joke he learned in his Scout Life magazine: "What does a janitor say when he jumps out of the closet? Supplies!"

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Non-partisan blanket primary

What committees interest you?

Elections, housing, urban issues

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We need to protect the public's and press's rights to government records. We need to overturn the Citizen's United court case.

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.

2022

Cabot Nelson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Cabot Nelson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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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Cabot Nelson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Utah House of Representatives District 23	Lost general	$18	$0
2022	Utah House of Representatives District 23	Lost general	$0	$-82
2020	Utah House of Representatives District 25	Lost general	$82	N/A**
2018	Utah House of Representatives District 25	Lost general	$111	N/A**
Grand total			$211	$-82
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Footnotes

[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

Vacant

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

John Arthur (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

Vacant

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 (59)

Democratic Party (14)

Vacancies (2)