Gay Lynn Bennion

Gay Lynn Bennion

Democratic Party

Utah House of Representatives District 41

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Mark Strong

Prior offices

Utah House of Representatives District 46

Successor: Jeff Stenquist

Predecessor: Marie Poulson

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Compensation

Base salary

$293.55/legislative day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

Salt Lake City, Utah

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Gay Lynn Bennion (Democratic Party) is a member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing District 41. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Bennion (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 41. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Gay Lynn Bennion was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bennion earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 1986.

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

Bennion was assigned to the following committees:

• House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
• Political Subdivisions Committee
• Administrative Rules Review Committee

2021-2022

Bennion was assigned to the following committees:

• House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
• Political Subdivisions 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 41

Incumbent Gay Lynn Bennion defeated Roy Piskadlo in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (D)	63.8	15,206
	Submit photo	Roy Piskadlo (R)	36.2	8,622

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,828
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Gay Lynn Bennion advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 41.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Roy Piskadlo advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 41.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41

Incumbent Gay Lynn Bennion advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (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.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41

Roy Piskadlo advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on April 13, 2024.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Roy Piskadlo (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 Bennion in this election.

Pledges

Bennion 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 41

Incumbent Gay Lynn Bennion defeated Wayne Gary Sandberg in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (D)	63.2	12,579
	Submit photo	Wayne Gary Sandberg (R)	36.8	7,333

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,912
= 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 Gay Lynn Bennion advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 41.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 41

Wayne Gary Sandberg defeated Steve Aste in the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Wayne Gary Sandberg	57.4	3,515
	Submit photo	Steve Aste	42.6	2,613

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,128
= 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 41

Incumbent Gay Lynn Bennion advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on April 9, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (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 41

Steve Aste and Wayne Gary Sandberg advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 41 on April 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Steve Aste (R)	50.9	29
✔	Submit photo	Wayne Gary Sandberg (R)	49.1	28

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57
= 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 46

Gay Lynn Bennion defeated Jaren Davis and Lee Anne Walker in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 46 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (D)	56.6	12,467
		Jaren Davis (R)	38.7	8,520
	Submit photo	Lee Anne Walker (L)	4.7	1,034

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,021
= 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 46

Gay Lynn Bennion defeated Megan Skiles and Daisy Thomas in the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 46 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Gay Lynn Bennion (D)
	Submit photo	Megan Skiles (D)
	Submit photo	Daisy Thomas (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 46

Jaren Davis advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 46 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Jaren Davis (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

To view Bennion's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gay Lynn Bennion did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Gay Lynn Bennion completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bennion's 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.

I am from Holladay, Utah and graduated cum laude from BYU in English. When I married Jim 36 years ago, I signed on for adventure. With our four children, we are proud to have been an Air Force family, supporting Jim’s successful 26-year career. Through multiple moves for our family, I was proactive in creating community, leading women’s groups at church, volunteering in schools, and connecting neighbors with one another.

Upon our return to Utah in 2012, my drive to create positive changes for all led me to join Women’s State Legislative Council where I actively followed bills, coordinated presentations for key legislation, wrote successful bill resolutions, and served in leadership for seven years. I volunteered to teach English to immigrants and refugees through English Skills Learning Center and am the recipient of the ESLC 2016 Jean and Bruce Bingham Literacy Legacy Award. I have enjoyed service as a Cub Scout and youth leader. Jim and I enjoy hiking, biking, and skiing with our adult children, their spouses, and our spunky granddaughters.

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?

• I am a true representative. I listen and bring suggestions from our district to the state legislature. Thanks to input from constituents, the Inland Port Bill was improved to ensure the Port has the authority to incentivize cleaner engines to minimize air pollution. Ane now the Lt. Gov's Office can take action to ensure political action committees properly register. I am conducting a listening tour through our district and continue to receive vital information and suggestions from my neighbors and constituents who email me and attend our Neighborhood Chats.
• Our world is complex. I don't see people or issues as simplistic or black and white. I serve as Utah State Lead for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, and I am also a Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Champion for 2021 and 2022. We can work for cleaner air and water and also help businesses thrive. Ultimately, if we don't address environmental crises like the low levels of Great Salt Lake, all of us and the economy will be negatively impacted. I work with people with whom I may not always agree with to create better policy and future for all of us.
• I am 100% committed to my service for our district. I use my energy to thoroughly investigate the topics of most importance for our district and state.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am focused on water. Utah is in the second year of extreme drought and in the second decade of dryer, hotter, longer summers. I meet with state leaders and study reports to find solutions to this serious problem. I am a founding member of the Bi-Partisan Great Salt Lake Caucus.

Since my election in 2020, I have focused on housing availability and affordability. I work with Utah Housing Coalition and other stakeholders for solutions. My constituents are concerned that illegal short-term rentals drive up home prices and remove homes from the housing market. I'm working with a national expert for better policy to prevent further negative impacts of this practice in Utah.

I am a strong advocate of public education. As a state with so many children, Utah needs to support teachers and provide more mental health professionals and nurses in our schools.

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.

2020

Gay Lynn Bennion completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bennion's 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.

I graduated from Skyline High School, then BYU. When I married Jim 34 years ago, I signed on for adventure. With our four children, we are proud to have been an Air Force family, supporting Jim's successful 26-year career.

Everywhere we've lived, I have been proactive in creating community. My drive to create positive changes led me to join the nonpartisan Women's State Legislative Council, which works for the best legislation for Utah. For three years I served as chair of the Natural Resources Committee and currently lead the Education Committee. With people around the world fleeing war and chaos, I volunteered to teach English to immigrants and refugees. I have enjoyed service in church, scouting, and youth organizations.

In this time of challenge and divisiveness, we need leaders who listen to subject experts and lead boldly with compassion. I am such a leader. I am passionate about people and our beautiful, complex world. I have the energy and experience to work for the best possible future for all in a way that is sustainable. I will work to forge bridges of understanding as we move forward together to focus on the economy, education, health care, and the environment.

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?

• During the last seven years as I've heard presentations on key legislation in our Women's State Legislative Council meetings, I have seen important, helpful bills introduced by legislators from both parties. However, because one party has a super majority, there are times when the voice of citizens is not heard. I attended many hearings for the 2019 Tax Reform. Teachers and small business owners made time to come testify against the tax reform, but the legislative leadership did not hear their concerns. This happened earlier in 2018 when citizens mobilized to draft and pass 3 citizen propositions, which were then watered down by the majority of our legislators. We need legislators who will listen, and I am committed to listening.
• Quality public education is vital for the future of our country. Passion for education led me to teach English to immigrants and refugees and inspired me to become WSLC Director of Education. Prior to the Covid-19 budget cuts, our state finally increased per student spending by 6% and improved investments in early education. I will ensure we continue to increase investing in our children's education and promote local control for our schools.
• As prior WSLC Director of Natural Resources, I know clean air and water are the foundation of our health. I care about Wasatch Blvd and our canyon transportation issues. I have written successful resolutions in support of increased funding for air quality and to give the Utah Department of Air Quality the ability to set their own standards to improve air quality, given our unique situation. I am aware of instances where our legislature is sometimes too eager to encourage businesses. We need to make decisions for the long term benefit of our state.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, healthcare, economy and environment.

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

I'm continually impressed by Abraham Lincoln. At this time of divisiveness in our country, I reflect on his wise words at a time of even greater distress and sorrow for our country. "With malice towards none, and charity towards all." We are the United States of America. We are stronger together.

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

Definitely. We are always stronger working together.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Education and Natural Resources

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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Gay Lynn Bennion campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah House of Representatives District 41	Won general	$65,277	$-50,365
2022	Utah House of Representatives District 41	Won general	$39,874	$-22,605
2020	Utah House of Representatives District 46	Won general	$45,490	N/A**
Grand total			$150,640	$-72,971
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 41

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Utah House of Representatives District 41

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mark Strong (R)	Utah House of Representatives District 41 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Marie Poulson (D)	Utah House of Representatives District 46 2021-2023	Succeeded by Jeff Stenquist (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)