Mark Shurtleff
Mark Shurtleff (born August 9, 1957, in Salt Lake City, Utah) is the former Republican Attorney General of Utah. He was initially elected to the office in 2000, and subequently won re-election in 2004 and 2008. Shurtleff did not seek a fourth term in the 2012 election.
On January 7, 2013, he was succeeded by his deputy attorney general John Swallow (R), who won election on November 6, 2012. Shurtleff went on to work for a federal law firm in Washington, D.C.[1]
On July 15, 2014, Shurtleff and his successor as Utah Attorney General, John Swallow (R), were arrested by the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety on multiple charges relating to alleged bribery, improper acceptance of gifts, and a "pattern of unlawful activity."[2] State prosecutors dropped the charges against Shurtleff in 2016, and Swallow was acquitted of all charges by a jury in 2017.[3]
Biography
Mark Shurtleff graduated from Brighton High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations from Brigham Young University in 1981 and a J.D. from the University of Utah School of Law in 1985. Shurtleff's professional experience includes working as a judge advocate general in the United States Navy, as a litigation associate for the private practice law firm of Smith, Smith & Kring, and as an attorney at the Law Offices of R.Q. Shupe. Shurtleff was named an assistant to the Utah Attorney General in 1994, a position he held for four years. In 1999, he was elected to serve as a Salt Lake County commissioner. Shurtleff has served as a Boy Scouts leader, as an executive committee member of the National Association of Attorneys General, on the board of directors of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, as a board member of the Police Athletic League, as a board member of the Rape Recovery Center, as the honorary chair of the Utah Mentor Network, as a member of the Utah Prosecution Council, and on the board of directors of the Washington Legal Foundation.
Political career
Attorney General (2001-2013)
Shurtleff was first elected Utah Attorney General in 2000. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2008. He did not file for re-election in 2012.
Elections
2012
- See also: Utah attorney general election, 2012
Shurtleff did not run for re-election in 2012. He was succeeded by John Swallow, who (R) won election on November 6, 2012.
2010
Shurtleff announced on May 20, 2009, that he would be challenging incumbent Republican Senator Bob Bennett for his seat in the United States Senate.[4] On November 4, 2009, Shurtleff announced he was suspending his campaign in order to "spend more time with his 17-year-old daughter who suffers from mental illness and is in a residential treatment facility."[5] Shurtleff endorsed Mike Lee (R) in the race.[6]
2008
General election
Shurtleff won re-election to a third term as attorney general with 69.3% of the vote in the 2008 general election.[7]
| Attorney General, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mark Shurtleff Incumbent |
69.3% | 650,147 | |
| Democratic | Gregory G. Skordas | 26.6% | 249,492 | |
| Libertarian | W. Andrew McCullough | 4.1% | 38,321 | |
| Total Votes | 937,960 | |||
Primary
Mark Shurtleff ran unopposed in the primary.
ACORN June 2008 Survey and Scorecard report
The June 2008 Survey and Scorecard report published by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) gave Shurtleff an A letter grade. The report was published to highlight state attorneys general "leading the fight to protect homeowners from joining the flood of Americans losing their homes to foreclosure," according to the report.[8]
2004
General election
Incumbent Shurtleff defeated Gregory G. Skordas (D) and W. Andrew McCullough (L) in the 2004 general election.[9]
| Attorney General, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark Shurtleff Incumbent |
68.5% | 607,393 | |
| Democratic | Gregory G. Skordas | 28.3% | 250,820 | |
| Libertarian | W. Andrew McCullough | 3.2% | 28,202 | |
| Total Votes | 886,415 | |||
Primary
Mark Shurtleff ran unopposed in the primary.
2000
General election
With 57% of the vote, Shurtleff was first elected to the post of attorney general of Utah in the 2000 general election. He defeated Reed M. Richards (D) and W. Andrew McCullough (L).[10]
| Attorney General, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark Shurtleff |
57.5% | 435,998 | |
| Democratic | Reed. M Richards | 39.5% | 299,683 | |
| Libertarian | W. Andrew McCullough | 2.9% | 22,273 | |
| Total Votes | 757,954 | |||
Primary
Shurtleff received 63% of the vote in the Republican primary against Frank Mylar in 2000.
| Attorney General of Utah, 2000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mark Shurtleff |
63% | 118,865 |
| Frank Myler | 37% | 69,809 |
| Total Votes | 188,674 | |
Campaign contributions
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. See the table below for more information about the campaign donors who supported Mark Shurtleff.[11] Click [show] for more information.
| Mark Shurtleff Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Attorney General of Utah | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total raised | $957,858 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total raised by opponents | $124,513 (Democrat) $15,317 (Libertarian) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Republican State Leadership Committee | $75,000 | |||||||||||||||||
| USANA Health Sciences | $55,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| I-Works | $50,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1-800-Contacts | $41,500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Siegfried & Jensen, Pre-Paid Legal Services, The Tax Club, and Bloosky LLC | $40,000 each | ||||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $43,699 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $909,771 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $624,387 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $349,315 | ||||||||||||||||||
Noteworthy events
FBI investigation
On July 15, 2014, Shurtleff and his successor as Utah Attorney General, John Swallow (R), were arrested by the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety on multiple charges relating to alleged bribery, improper acceptance of gifts, and a "pattern of unlawful activity."[12] State prosecutors dropped the charges against Shurtleff in 2016, and Swallow was acquitted of all charges by a jury in 2017.[13]
Affordable Care Act lawsuit (2010)
Shurtleff was one of 13 state attorneys general who initiated a 2010 lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The suit argued that the individual mandate fell outside of the federal government’s authority and that the requirement for state Medicaid expansion of coverage violated state sovereignty. The case was ultimately heard before the Supreme Court, which ruled to uphold the individual mandate as falling within Congress’ authority to levy taxes and struck down the Medicaid expansion as being unduly coercive in light of the withholding of funding that would result from noncompliance.[14]
Utah Constitutional Amendment 3
Shurtleff spoke against Utah Constitutional Amendment 3, the 2004 amendment which banned gay marriage/civil unions in the state. Shurtleff stated it would "forever deny to a group of citizens the right to approach its Legislature to seek benefits and protections. This is bad law and should be rejected."[15]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shurtleff currently resides in Sandy, Utah, with his wife, M'Liss. The couple has had five children together.
Shurtleff has received the following awards:
| List of Awards (click "show"): | |
|---|---|
| |
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of the Attorney General
Post Office Box 142320
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2320
Phone: (801) 366-0260
Toll Free Phone: (800) 244-4636 (Utah Only)
Fax: (801) 366-0221
E-mail: uag@utah.gov
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official Utah Attorney General website (dead link)
- Mark Shurtleff's Facebook profile
- Mark Shurtleff's Twitter account
- Shurtleff for Senate Campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Mark Shurtleff biography
Footnotes
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Shurtleff to take federal lobbying job," December 4, 2012
- ↑ Deseret News, "Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff arrested," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Deseret News, "Jury acquits John Swallow of all charges," March 2, 2017
- ↑ FOX 13 "Mark Shurtleff U.S. Senate Campaign Announcement Speech" 20 May, 2009
- ↑ Legal Newsline, "Shurtleff ends 2010 Senate campaign" 4 Nov. 2009
- ↑ Deseret News, "Mike Lee enters Senate race against Bennett — with Shurtleff endorsement" 5 Jan. 2010
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2008 Attorney General General Election Results," November 27, 2008
- ↑ ACORN "Attorneys General Take Action: Real Leadership in Fighting Foreclosures" June 2008
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2004 Attorney General General Election Results," March 11, 2007
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2000 Attorney General General Election Results," March 11, 2007
- ↑ Follow the Money.org, "Home," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Deseret News, "Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff arrested," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Deseret News, "Jury acquits John Swallow of all charges," March 2, 2017
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Florida v. Department of Health and Human Services," accessed August 11, 2020
- ↑ Log Cabin Republicans - Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff profile
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Attorney General of Utah 2001 - 2013 |
Succeeded by John Swallow (R) |
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