Gregory Duerden

Gregory Duerden (Independent American Party of Utah) ran for election for Governor of Utah. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Duerden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Duerden (Independent American Party) was a candidate for Utah's 3rd congressional district in 2018. He was defeated in the general election on November 6, 2018.

Duerden was an Independent American Party candidate for lieutenant governor of Utah in 2016.^[1] He was also a 2012 Democratic candidate for District 16 of the Utah State Senate.

Biography

Gregory Duerden was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served in the United States Air Force from 1972 to 1978. Duerden pursued his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University, the University of Alabama, the Air University, and Stevens-Henager College. His career experience includes working as a journalist, radio news director, and business executive.^[2]

Elections

2020

Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)

General election

General election for Governor of Utah

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Utah on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Spencer Cox (R)	63.0	918,754
		Chris Peterson (D)	30.3	442,754
		Daniel Cottam (L)	3.5	51,393
		Gregory Duerden (Independent American Party of Utah)	1.8	25,810
	Submit photo	Madeline Kazantzis (Independent) (Write-in)	1.3	18,988
		Kristena Conlin (Independent) (Write-in)	0.1	937
		Richard Whitney (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	230
	Submit photo	Tyler Batty (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	12

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,458,878
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Utah

Spencer Cox defeated Jon Huntsman, Gregory Hughes, and Thomas Wright in the Republican primary for Governor of Utah on June 30, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Spencer Cox	36.1	190,565
	Jon Huntsman	34.9	184,246
	Gregory Hughes	21.0	110,835
	Thomas Wright	7.9	41,532

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 527,178
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jan Garbett (R)

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Governor of Utah

The following candidates ran in the Democratic convention for Governor of Utah on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
		Neil Hansen (D)
	Submit photo	Ryan Jackson (D)
		Zachary Moses (D)
✔		Chris Peterson (D)
		Nikki Pino (D)
		Archie Williams III (D)

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

Republican Convention for Governor of Utah

Select round:

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Gregory Hughes in round 6 , and Spencer Cox in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 3,579
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

2018

See also: Utah's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

Incumbent John Curtis defeated James Singer, Gregory Duerden, and Tim Zeidner in the general election for U.S. House Utah District 3 on November 6, 2018.

General election for U.S. House Utah District 3

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Curtis (R)	67.5	174,856
		James Singer (D)	27.3	70,686
		Gregory Duerden (Independent American Party)	2.6	6,686
	Submit photo	Tim Zeidner (United Utah Party)	2.6	6,630

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 258,858
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Melanie McCoard (Independent)

Democratic primary election

The Utah Democratic Party held a nominating convention on April 28, 2018. James Singer was selected as the Democratic nominee for U.S. House Utah District 3.^[3]

Republican primary election

Incumbent John Curtis defeated Christopher Herrod in the Republican primary for U.S. House Utah District 3 on June 26, 2018.

Republican primary for U.S. House Utah District 3

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Curtis	73.3	66,404
	Christopher Herrod	26.7	24,158

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 90,562
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chia-Chi Teng (R)

2016

Main article: Utah gubernatorial election, 2016

Duerden filed to run as an Independent American Party candidate in the 2016 election for Utah lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with gubernatorial candidate Dell Schanze. The two competed with incumbent Republicans Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox; Democrats Mike Weinholtz and Kim Bowman; Libertarians Brian Kamerath and Barry Short; and L. S. Brown.^[1]

2012

See also: Utah State Senate elections, 2012

Duerden ran for election in the 2012 election for Utah State Senate District 16. Duerden was unopposed in the June 26 Democratic primary and was defeated by incumbent Curtis Bramble (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.^[4]

**Utah State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Curtis Bramble Incumbent	78.9%	19,350
	Democratic	Gregory Duerden	21.1%	5,184
Total Votes				24,534

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

Gregory Duerden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duerden'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 excited about running for Governor because I am born and bred in Utah with very deep Utah roots. I know Utah values and have observed Utah politics for over 40 years as a Utah newspaperman and broadcaster - serving communities all over Utah, providing information to voters about what their local and state government is doing and have done. I've seen the good, the horrible, and the waste of money.

Recently I was active in the Tax Reform Referendum, getting it repealed - yeah! But I believe Utah Republicans have harmed the state in many other ways - check out my website: gduerden.us to see more details. What I want to accomplish is to provide a Constitutional Solution to many of Utah's Public Education issues, and in other areas, too; fixing the GOP 'tax and spend' proclivity, showing them alternate sources of revenue; and much much more. There is so much to do and we need an Independent Governor to get it done in the right way! For Example: in 1991 & 92 I was part of the SPJ/UFOG coalition who drafted the original GAMA law, which became a national model. Since it was signed into law our legislature has tweeked it over and over; turning it from a national model piece of legislation into a 21st Century PLATYPUS!!

Utah also needs the legislature to fall under an independent ethics commission, not keep the in-house 'good old boy' system - every other level of government has ethics oversight outside that level EXCEPT the Legislature. AND so much more!!

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?

Greg (Duerden) is a 'Duer' who will get more good done for a better Utah future, and done in the right way!
An Independent Governor will work for the People of Utah and NOT the two major party idealogies. An Indpendent Governor can work with BOTH parties!!
Dramatic change is needed not another four years of the same from professional politicians handicapped from doing what they know they should by petty party politics!

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

With 83 grandchildren I AM All-In for K-12 Public Education. I have a way to bring teachers salaries to the National Median without raising any taxes. We need to honor our K-12 teachers more and give them more than the legislature and administration has over the past several decades (that is why we have a huge teacher crisis - thanks GOP elected officials who keep saying 'Education is our top priority' THAT IS A LIE - they are lying to the teachers, the parent AND the students!!)

Utahns deserve less taxes, less regulation and better government. This use to be the Republican mantra but out state budget has grown from $6 billion in 2000 to $20 billion for 2020 (it was set in 2019 and the legislature is setting the 2021 budget in this session).  CATO Institute gave Utah a "D" for expanding government size, out of control budget growth, and raising taxes!

We need more transparency in the initative process and the legislature keeps 'tweeking' the ones the Voters Pass, turning them into something unrecognizable to those who voted for them!

Utah needs to learn the Proper Role of Government and take the principles to heart.

Although the Inland Port isn't up and running ... most Utahns don't know why we need a "port" over 380 miles from any major river or ocean beach. Is this another 2016 Oakland Coal Port fiasco?? (We need to repeal that $54 million loan legislation NOT have it done 'under the table' by a CIB 'enterprise fund!!'

AND THERE's MORE!

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

I re-enact one of our Founding Fathers (Benjamin Franklin) for our local Fourth of July celebration. I admire the dedication and strength of our founding fathers, all of them. I like some more than others, but my favorite is George Washington. He could easily have been installed as King of America, but he knew that wouldn't be what the colonies needed - another king was not the answer. He was selfless and dedicated to Freedom and Liberty. He did what he knew he must, despite the personal cost or imposition. He was a true hero of his time and was inspired by God to do so much to mold and save this great country. It is too bad we don't teach our youth about him, in depth, so it would inspire the youth, too. Franklin is also inspiring, and he was the President of Pennsylvania a couple of times as well as being an inventor, scientist, philosopher, philanthropist, printer, writer, diplomat, social activist, moralist and is in the swimming hall of fame, too. As is Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and so many more.

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

My political philosophy is taken from an entire library of books - some very old tomes and some very thick volumes. It takes study to build a sure foundation of knowledge, and mine has taken well over 50 years. So no, not a single book, essay or film . . . but perhaps an in-depth study of the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and how it was brought about, is a good starting point,

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

On my website are 15 principles of Good Government: from maintaining freedoom via moral law, to supporting and protecting individual rights and freedoms, not infringing freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, state sovereignty , etc.

To me, pre-eminent among them is following the Constitution of the United States and our State Constitution for the benefit of our citizens true Freedom and Liberty. These freedoms and true liberty does not come government or any human being but comes from a higher source, and any attempt at altering, infringing, limiting or violating those freedoms and liberty are done at our woe!

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

I am a motivated leader of men and women, a good people person, empathetic but not a bleeding-heart. I am secure in my principles and have a firm foundation, developed over decades in business, in financial and human resources, as well as investigative journalism. I am a good communicator in written word, verbally, and face-to-face.

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

First and foremost, each and every elected official is accountable to those who put them into office (We The People) and no one else! I'm not saying they should only be concerned with those who voted for them, because their responsibility is to each and everyone in their district, their state.

Those who go after the jobs for money, power, self-agrandtisement or any other reason should not be in office. It will not be good for them, even if they skate through for a while. Corrupt politicians will be held to account in a higher court than one found on this planet, and it will be held to account there and then for every action and intent. Don't want to be them!!

What legacy would you like to leave?

If it could be said of me that my family missed me, loved me and look forward to seeing me again in the next life ... I would be more than half way there.

All I can ask that I have done as much good as I could, done little if any harm to man or beast, and have a good heart without doing too much damage to the name my parents gave me, I would be happy.

In addition, if I can be of service to my fellowmen, so much the better.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I recently re-read Jack London's "Call of the Wild" to prepare for the forthcoming movie of the same name. I also loved Senator Mike Lee's "Our Lost Declaration" and Neil Gorsuch's "A Republic If You Can Keep It"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have buried two wives, and claim 18 children from my three marriages. That has been a struggle. But the joy far outweighs the struggle because I am now the grandfather of 83 children and 6 grand-children (and still counting) That is JOY!!

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

I think of the Governor as the CEO of the state. He should help direct the state to a brighter and better future, which is not necessarily meaning a larger tax burden for the citizens, nor a bigger government with lots of expensive 'programs' to keep the citizens in subjection to the almighty government. I believe we can teach the legislature and elected officials to look beyond the 'tax and spend' box they have relied upon for too long. We can find less onerous forms of revenue to fund government while still taking care of the most fragile and the most needly members of our society - personal responsibility and understanding is needed on both sides of this equasion! Government cannot do it all for everyone. It was not intended to do that either. But as Chief Executive the Governor must lead by example and by working hard to build consensus in the legislature and in the various arms of government to accomplish great things - not just easy things! He is the one steering the ship of state toward a better and brighter future, away from the rocky shores of debt and too much government.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Utah has one of the better economies of the Nation. Those blessings should be felt by all citizens: poor, middle class as well as the more well off. If only the rich feel the good things while the workers are still struggling to pay the bills ... something must be done (and I'm not talking redistribution of wealth to any degree). Finding the solutions in Constitutional ways and using Constitutional principles is the real answer.

 Growing taxes and the size of government is the opposite direction we should be going.  Less taxation will cause businesses to be attracted to our state, not economic giveaways trying to buy their development and jobs here. With one of the top educated workforces in the nation, and lessening taxes for workers and businesses we can have it all with much less tax giveaways than we have been doing.  If we have such a well managed state why are our liabilities and bonded debt burden so huge for each and every man, woman and child in the state ... but no one talks about it???   Getting out of debt (all debt) must be done before the debt monster eats all of our profits - both Nationally and on the State levels across the nation.  Utah is is good shape but we can do and must do better!

Finally, we have been promised more and more while providing less and less for K-12 Education in Utah. We are still providing much less per pupil than too many states in the nation (we are still too far down the list, if not very far from falling back to 51st in the nation). Our teachers are doing herculean jobs giving students the best they can with what they have to work with. Teachers are under-appreciated and are very much a major part of Economic Development and developers of our state's future. 'Education' is not just K-12 anymore (not since 1996), now it includes Higher Ed, too. Those line items need to be seperated so everyone can see who is getting the tax dollars and where it is actually going.

Developing a budget each year is also big!

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

I'm big on responsibility, individual responsibility and the responsibility of government (aka: elected officials) to their constituents (the voters AND even the non-voting citizens). Ultimately the budget recommendation of the Governor is not all he can do. He should be talking with legislators (leadership and other members) to build a case for or against other budget ideas. That is what a leader does, L-E-A-D! Lead from the front and take your best shots, do your best ... and the responsibility will ultimately be yours and the legislature's. If everyone does their best, putting aside personal agendas and doing that which they know is best for the majority of people, it will work for the good of everyone.
I'm not nieve enough to just blow sunshine, but with lots of hard work it will happen ... sometimes despite of the 'Good Old Boys' in power ... but it WILL Happen, the voters will see to it!

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Utah does not have that option.

If the governor's office in your state does not have the line-item veto power, do you believe it should? Why or why not?

We don't need it. Budgets should be consensus items, not pork barrels the leadership uses to gain support by adding this and that to get a certain vote in their favor. That is not consensus but corruption - buying and selling votes. If the Governor and the Legislature do not EACH do their job, the public will know ... and I will be the first to the camera and mike to praise or call them to account. Accountability of elected officials is done at the ballot box ... where it should be! I have faith in the eletorate, generally.

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

They should be partners as well as fellow crewmembers on the ship of state. If one doesn't set the sail to maximize the wind, the ship won't go well and may flounder. If the captian of the ship is a Bly - too demanding, not getting along but not being a milk-toast then you know what will happen. Each member of the crew has a job to do. If they do it, and they do it well, they will all make port and deliver their passengers and cargo on-time and for the better. If not, everyone suffers.

    If your partner decides they don't want to work with you, there are ways to re-build bridges and bring them around.  If they are still stubborn, perhaps you need a new partner?  It ultimately takes two to tango, but if each don't do their part it will be a disaster ... however, if each does their part it can be a great performance!!

I'm a big boy, or I wouldn't want to get into the game. I can handle myself and I only want to do the best for our citizens, as - I'm certain most if not all the other partners do too.

What do you love most about your state?

I love the people. I love the diversity of climate (desert to alpine), the diversity of beauty (majestic mountains, beautiful rivers and lakes, Canyonlands, Zions, Bryce, Lake Powell, Ski resorts, rodeos, small towns and cities, rural, wilderness, urban ... I love it all). Yet, without the people, their dedication to wanting to improve themselves and others ... it would only be arid loneliness. We have Moab to Park City, Mona to Loa, Dugway to Jensen, Snowville to Monument Valley .... this state is Great!

   Who wouldn't want to be the Governor of such a gem?  I do!!   And I have been in every part of the state: from the Uintah Basin to Red Rock Country in the South, from Ogden to Monticello,  from Salina and Redmond to Rose Park and Provo's East Bench to St. George to Randolph.

This state's history is inspiring. What the pioneers have overcome from the arid waste is inspirational, at the very least! The pioneers have literally made the desert bloom!! (Fulfillment of scripture, not too bad!) And it was the PEOPLE who did that!

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

Number one is paying for Medicaid expansion in the long run - luckily our legislature has a Medicare Rainy Day fund already set up, so we could be okay ... but it will take close supervision of the budget to make sure.

   We are growing and we need to take a close look at our infastructure, perhaps partnering with counties to help more.  We have to really look at that quickly, before it gets away from us.


   Too many of our children still have to go out of state to find better paying jobs.  We need to incubate more local and better local businesses which will grow into those big and better jobs.

And there are jobs our High School Seniors will have which have not even been invented yet. That is a huge challenge to adapt to and try to assist in.

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.

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Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Utah Lieutenant Governor, "2016 candidate filings," accessed October 17, 2016
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 10, 2020
↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Democratic front-runners Ben McAdams and Jenny Wilson defeat challengers to avoid primary elections," April 28, 2018
↑ Utah 2012 candidate filings

[candlist16-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Utah Lieutenant Governor, "2016 candidate filings," accessed October 17, 2016

[bio-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 10, 2020

[3] The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Democratic front-runners Ben McAdams and Jenny Wilson defeat challengers to avoid primary elections," April 28, 2018

[4] Utah 2012 candidate filings

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Spencer Cox	55.0	1,884	396	Advanced (6)
Gregory Hughes	45.0	1,544	437	Advanced (6)
Aimee Winder Newton	0.0	0	-918	6
Thomas Wright	0.0	0	0	5
Jeff Burningham	0.0	0	0	4
Jon Huntsman	0.0	0	0	3
Jason Christensen	0.0	0	0	2

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Spencer Cox	42.4	1,488	201	Advanced (6)
Gregory Hughes	31.5	1,107	206	Advanced (6)
Aimee Winder Newton	26.1	918	215	6
Thomas Wright	0.0	0	-658	5
Jeff Burningham	0.0	0	0	4
Jon Huntsman	0.0	0	0	3
Jason Christensen	0.0	0	0	2

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Spencer Cox	36.3	1,287	64	Advanced (6)
Gregory Hughes	25.4	901	182	Advanced (6)
Aimee Winder Newton	19.8	703	163	6
Thomas Wright	18.5	658	105	5
Jeff Burningham	0.0	0	-530	4
Jon Huntsman	0.0	0	0	3
Jason Christensen	0.0	0	0	2

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Spencer Cox	34.3	1,223	141	Advanced (6)
Gregory Hughes	20.2	719	45	Advanced (6)
Aimee Winder Newton	15.1	540	32	6
Thomas Wright	15.5	553	59	5
Jeff Burningham	14.9	530	26	4
Jon Huntsman	0.0	0	-315	3
Jason Christensen	0.0	0	0	2

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Spencer Cox	30.2	1,082	1	Advanced (6)
Gregory Hughes	18.8	674	11	Advanced (6)
Aimee Winder Newton	14.2	508	8	6
Thomas Wright	13.8	494	5	5
Jeff Burningham	14.1	504	17	4
Jon Huntsman	8.8	315	0	3
Jason Christensen	0.0	0	-44	2

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Gregory Duerden

Biography

Elections

2020

General election

General election for Governor of Utah

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Utah

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Governor of Utah

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Governor of Utah

2018

General election

General election

General election for U.S. House Utah District 3

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Utah District 3

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

2012

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Footnotes

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