Jenny Wilson (Utah)

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Jenny Wilson

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

High school

East High School

Bachelor's

University of Utah

Graduate

Harvard Kennedy School

Contact

Personal Twitter

Jenny Wilson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Utah. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.

Wilson became the mayor of Salt Lake County in January 2019 to replace Ben McAdams. She served on the Salt Lake County Council from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019.

Biography

Wilson's political experience includes serving on the Salt Lake County Council. As of the 2018 Senate election, she was serving her second six-year term. She became the first woman to be elected to the council in 2005. Wilson also served as press secretary to U.S. Rep. Les AuCoin (D-OR) and as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Bill Orton (D-UT). She also served as an aide to the Utah state legislature and was a candidate for Salt Lake City mayor in 2007.

Wilson's other professional experience includes serving in positions for the Sundance Institute and Film Festival, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Voices for Utah Children, and the University of Utah’s John A. Moran Eye Center. She directed and produced a documentary film, The Grand Rescue, which aired on PBS stations throughout the United States.

Wilson is the daughter of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson. She received her master's in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, her bachelor's from the University of Utah, and is a graduate of East High School in Salt Lake City.

Elections

2018

See also: United States Senate election in Utah, 2018

General election

Mitt Romney defeated Jenny Wilson, Timothy Noel Aalders, Craig Bowden, and Reed McCandless in the general election for U.S. Senate Utah on November 6, 2018.

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Utah

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitt Romney (R)	62.6	665,215
		Jenny Wilson (D)	30.9	328,541
		Timothy Noel Aalders (Constitution Party)	2.7	28,774
		Craig Bowden (L)	2.6	27,607
		Reed McCandless (Independent American Party)	1.2	12,708
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	52

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,062,897
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Utah Democratic Party held a nominating convention on April 28, 2018. Jenny Wilson, a Salt Lake County councilwoman, was selected via convention with 81 percent of the vote.

Republican primary election

Mitt Romney defeated Mike Kennedy in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Utah on June 26, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Utah

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitt Romney	71.3	240,021
		Mike Kennedy	28.7	96,771

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 336,792
= 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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Campaign themes

2018

Campaign website

Wilson’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Immigration Comprehensive, compassionate and family centered reform Path to citizenship for Dreamers Immediate reunification of families at border GOP Tax Bill Jenny opposes the GOP tax plan which gave breaks to corporations and the wealthy. She proposed her own revisions to the bill which would increase breaks for families and workers: Minimize the tax cuts to corporations Repeals the tax break for high-income families Increases the Child Tax Credit Closes egregious tax loopholes Public Lands Restore original boundaries to Utah’s national monuments Protecting Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for our rural communities Budget/Deficit Jenny served as the Chief of Staff to Blue Dog Democrat Bill Orton who served on the budget committee. Jenny and her colleagues work across party lines each year to pass a balanced budget Healthcare Reform the ACA Expand medicaid in UT Continue to cover pre-existing conditions Medicare should negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies Continued coverage for young people up to 26-years-old Working for Utah Families Jenny has a record of success serving in Utah as a member of the Salt Lake County Council. She gives back by serving on dozens of local committees and work groups. Ballot Initiatives Prop 1: Our Schools Now Funding Supports Prop 2: Utah Medical Cannabis Act Supports Prop 3: Full Medicaid Expansion Supports Prop 4: Independent Redistricting Commission Supports	”
—Jenny Wilson’s campaign website (2018)

Campaign

Social media presence

Social media presence on January 5, 2018
	Facebook			Twitter
Candidate	Followers	Likes	Comments on Last Post	Followers	Following	Tweets
Jenny Wilson	4,460	4,353	4	21,400	326	767

Tweets by Jenny Wilson

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jenny Wilson Utah Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Jenny Wilson (Utah) - Google News

See also

Suggest a link

• United States Senate
• United States Senate election in Utah, 2018

External links

• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page
• Campaign Twitter page

Footnotes

[show]

Utah's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Curtis (R)

Mike Lee (R)

Representatives

District 1

Blake Moore (R)

District 2

Celeste Maloy (R)

District 3

Mike Kennedy (R)

District 4

Burgess Owens (R)

Republican Party (6)