Nancy Huntly

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

Nancy Huntly

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Kalamazoo College, 1977

Ph.D

University of Arizona, 1985

Personal

Birthplace

Traverse City, Mich.

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Nancy Huntly (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Utah State Senate to represent District 2. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Huntly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nancy Huntly was born in Traverse City, Michigan. She earned a B.A. in biology from Kalamazoo College in 1977 and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona in 1985. Her professional experience includes working as a university professor at Idaho State University and Utah State University. She also served on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) and the Independent Science Advisory Board (ISAB). Huntly has served as a member of Logan Rotary, 100 Cache Valley Women Who Care, 500 Women Scientists, the Women's Democratic Club of Utah, the American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Society of Naturalists, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the AGU, and the International Association for Society and Natural Resources. She has also served as a member, fellow, and elected secretary of the Ecological Society of America (ESA).

Elections

2024

See also: Utah State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Utah State Senate District 2

Incumbent Chris Wilson defeated Nancy Huntly in the general election for Utah State Senate District 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Wilson (R)	69.8	32,995
		Nancy Huntly (D)	30.2	14,262

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,257
= 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

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Nancy Huntly advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah State Senate District 2.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Wilson advanced from the Republican primary for Utah State Senate District 2.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah State Senate District 2

Nancy Huntly advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah State Senate District 2 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Nancy Huntly (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 State Senate District 2

Incumbent Chris Wilson advanced from the Republican convention for Utah State Senate District 2 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Chris Wilson (R)

---

	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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Huntly in this election.

2020

See also: Utah State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Utah State Senate District 25

Chris Wilson defeated Nancy Huntly in the general election for Utah State Senate District 25 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Wilson (R)	71.4	32,677
		Nancy Huntly (D)	28.6	13,075

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,752
= 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 primary election

Republican primary for Utah State Senate District 25

Chris Wilson defeated incumbent Lyle Hillyard in the Republican primary for Utah State Senate District 25 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Wilson	62.7	11,283
		Lyle Hillyard	37.3	6,725

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,008
= 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 convention

Democratic convention for Utah State Senate District 25

Nancy Huntly advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah State Senate District 25 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Nancy Huntly (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 State Senate District 25

Incumbent Lyle Hillyard and Chris Wilson advanced from the Republican convention for Utah State Senate District 25 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Lyle Hillyard (R)
✔		Chris Wilson (R)

---

	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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nancy Huntly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Huntly'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’m a teacher, a scientist, a mom, and a grandmom, and am active in professional, public, and community service. I have a BA in biology and PhD in Ecology and was a university professor for 37 years. I have experience in leadership, service, project and budget management, research, deliberation, collaboration, and consensus-building that will serve me well as a legislator. I have served on a City Council, the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee, on the governing boards of the Ecological Society of America and my local Rotary club, and on the Independent Science Review Panel and Independent Science Advisory Board of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. I am a fellow of the Ecological Society of America. I co-founded the Center for Ecological Research and Education at Idaho State University and directed the Ecology Center at Utah State University for 13 years. I was a co-author of the Southwest chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment and cofounded and led educational programs in climate adaptation science. Much of my career has been about listening – listening to people’s concerns and ideas; listening to what data shows me during research; listening to family, friends, students, experts, whoever has perspective to contribute. I’ll listen to you, learn from you, and work with you, for all of us.

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 will bring better Balance to our legislature: balance in the backgrounds and knowledge of legislators; balance of attention across the many factors that make communities strong and resilient; balance in perspectives that are heard; balance of powers among judicial, executive, and judicial branches; and balance of powers between the people and their elected representatives. The goal is thoughtful and well-informed policy that balances issues and interests.
• I will focus on Our Communities and on legislation from and for Utah, not on bills from nation-wide sources that bring divisive political rhetoric and inflame emotions. Strong, healthy communities, where people can thrive, depend on healthy relationships among people. Honest, open, civic dialogue, a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to policy, and a focus on service and responsibility can restore our relationships and strengthen our communities.
• Good governance is Work. We face many problems, including challenges and shortfalls in housing, childcare, enabling support for children and people with disabilities, education, transportation, energy, wages sufficient to meet the costs of living, water, air quality, managing growth and change to maintain quality of life, and political dysfunction. Working Together – listening to each other, learning from each other, and finding solutions that work for all of us – we can meet these challenges and have the strong communities and basic rights and freedoms we want.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Social Services, especially for children and people with disabilities, Taxation and Revenue, Transportation and Energy

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

Dr. Ed Redd is a great example of a legislator who showed empathy, compassion, and willingness to listen to, learn from, and give frank answers to all of his constituents.

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

humility; curiosity and openness; honesty; commitment to strive for fairness and to follow high ethical standards; ability to listen and learn; frank communication; ability to balance and prioritize

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

work ethic; perseverance; ability to collaborate; interest in people and their well-being; frankness; ability to follow or to lead; desire to find mutually beneficial and fair solutions; desire for opportunity for all; I believe there is always a positive path forward.

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

I remember many events from the civil rights movement, especially those associated with voting rights and education. I was 10 when the University of Mississippi was integrated by enrollment of James Meredith and 11 when the University of Alabama was integrated by enrollment of Vivien Malone and James Hood. Shortly after, there were several civil-rights-related murders, including the Birmingham Church bombing, in which children were killed, and the murder of three civil rights workers who had sought to register black people to vote. These events left lasting memories of who had the opportunities that were supposedly for all Americans, who did not, and the violence that was used to deny those opportunities.

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

My first job was picking cherries, for which the pay was $0.40/lug. I worked the whole season, which was several weeks. Those of us who worked the full season were paid an extra $0.05/lug, so I ended up earning $0.45/lug.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I oppose changes to the current Utah ballot initiative process. Ballot initiatives are how the people of Utah can put their major concerns to the legislature when the legislature has failed to hear and act on those concerns. Ballot initiatives also are the legal mechanism by which the people of Utah can act to reform their government - the ballot initiative process is how we exercise our constitutional right to reform our government when necessary. Our votes alone may be insufficient to achieve needed government reform when voting districts are gerrymandered to increase the impact of one group of voters over that of another. The ballot initiative process is an essential part of the balance of power in Utah government. It is essential to preserving our basic civil and human rights in a free society.

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

Nancy Huntly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Huntly'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 grew up in rural Michigan where my mother was a teacher, a small business owner, and an advocate for quality rural schools and public libraries, a Sunday school teacher, and a church pianist and organist. My father was a pharmacist, a small business owner, a hunter, a fisherman, and a county commissioner. One set of my grandparents were farmers; my other grandparents owned a small pharmacy.

I learned the values of hard work, independence, and personal responsibility from their heritage and understand the value of healthy communities, land stewardship, and family that are important to people in Cache and Rich counties.

I moved west in 1977 and have lived in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah, which has been my home since 2011.

I am a mother, a grandmother, an educator and a scientist. I am currently a professor in Utah State University's Department of Biology. I have managed large projects and programs that require prioritizing and balancing competing interests and finances. I have experience working together to understand and find creative solutions to difficult, often contentious, problems.

My experience communicating complex topics with citizens and decision-makers will serve the people of Cache and Rich counties well at the Utah legislature.

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?

• Healthy Communities - Healthy communities have educational and economic opportunity, affordable health care, well-functioning infrastructure, libraries, parks, public health organizations, and access to recreational, cultural, and spiritual activities. Because so many factors together make for places we and our families can thrive, single issue politics rarely result in good outcomes for all. I will work for policies that balance and foster the many factors that make our northern Utah communities healthy and resilient.
• Land Stewardship - Healthy soils, clean air, and clean water are essential to life. Our health and much of our economic opportunity depend on the health of our environment. I will work for policies that steward our environment, support our health and prosperity, and promote access to lands and preservation of working landscapes.
• Effective Governance - Together we can make a government we can believe in, one that is responsive and accountable to all Utahns. I will work to represent the people of northern Utah as we build a future that retains what we value and offers lasting prosperity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Education. I will work for excellent public education, with improvements in teachers' salaries, professional development, and in-school conditions such as smaller class sizes, and for diverse options for higher education.

2. Environment. I will work for policies that assure clean air and water, environmental stewardship, and access to Utah's lands for enjoyment and for livelihoods.

3. Economy. I will work for balanced policies that support an economy that works for all people and is resilient to environmental and social changes like we have seen recently.

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

A documentary film that influenced my view of politics is The Memory of Justice, directed by Marcel Orphuls, which I saw in 1976 or so. I took from it that people, and especially powerful groups of people such as governments, are capable of enormous callousness and cruelty, as well as ability to rationalize behavior that is far from respecting the basic value of other people. I think we must be alert to our potential short-sightedness and failings and have high ethical standards. I think that we make better decisions when the voices of all are heard and valued. Maybe the character Harry Bosch, in many of Michael Connelly's novels, also captures the message: everybody matters or nobody matters.

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

work ethic; perseverance; ability to collaborate; interest in people and their well-being; frankness; ability to follow or to lead; desire to find mutually beneficial and fair solutions; desire for opportunity for all
I believe that there is always a positive path forward.

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

I remember many events from the civil rights movement, especially those associated with voting rights and education. I was 10 when the University of Mississippi was integrated by enrollment of James Meredith and 11 when the University of Alabama was integrated by enrollment of Vivien Malone and James Hood. Shortly after, there were several civil-rights-related murders, including the Birmingham Church bombing, in which children were killed, and the murder of three civil rights workers who had sought to register black people to vote. These events left lasting memories of who had the opportunities that were supposedly for all Americans, who did not, and the violence that was used to deny those opportunities.

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

Utah faces several major challenges for the coming decade:

1. Weathering and recovering from the covid-19 pandemic and other future pandemics, the human and economic impacts of which may only be beginning.

2. Negotiating a suite of actions to reduce the rate of temperature rise (global warming, climate change) and adapt to the many hazards it is bringing, including drought, wildfire, heat waves.

3. Transitioning to an economy that works well for everybody under these two realities will require fresh approaches to energy, transportation, education, and infrastructure systems, rural economic development, and more accessible and affordable healthcare.

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

Yes. Legislators must have relationships that enable them to work well together. The legislature must represent the views of many communities and factions. When legislators work together effectively, they can anticipate the costs and benefits of policies for different groups and so can avoid consistently ignoring or disadvantaging some people.

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

Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Economic Development and Workforce Services
Education; Higher Education

Ethics

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

I appreciated the empathy, compassion, and willingness to listen to all that past Utah House District 4 Representative Dr. Ed Redd consistently showed. I also appreciated Dr. Redd's ability to acknowledge and articulate underlying problems and to look widely for solutions to them, even when some solutions were not welcomed by his party.

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

I have no such plans now, but I believe it is time for me to contribute more to my government. I will work through whatever mechanisms are available to me for a better future and for a much more effective, accessible, and engaged government.

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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Nancy Huntly campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah State Senate District 2	Lost general	$31,695	$-27,781
2020	Utah State Senate District 25	Lost general	$15,660	N/A**
Grand total			$47,355	$-27,781
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.

See also

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External links

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Candidate

Utah State Senate District 2

Website

Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Utah State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Kirk Cullimore

Minority Leader:Luz Escamilla

Senators

District 1

Scott Sandall (R)

District 2

Chris Wilson (R)

District 3

John Johnson (R)

District 4

Calvin Musselman (R)

District 5

Ann Millner (R)

District 6

Jerry Stevenson (R)

District 7

Stuart Adams (R)

District 8

Todd Weiler (R)

District 9

Jennifer Plumb (D)

District 10

Luz Escamilla (D)

District 11

Daniel Thatcher (F)

District 12

Karen Kwan (D)

District 13

Nate Blouin (D)

District 14

Stephanie Pitcher (D)

District 15

Kathleen Riebe (D)

District 16

Wayne Harper (R)

District 17

Lincoln Fillmore (R)

District 18

Dan McCay (R)

District 19

Kirk Cullimore (R)

District 20

Ronald Winterton (R)

District 21

Brady Brammer (R)

District 22

Heidi Balderree (R)

District 23

Keith Grover (R)

District 24

Keven Stratton (R)

District 25

Mike McKell (R)

District 26

David Hinkins (R)

District 27

Derrin Owens (R)

District 28

Evan Vickers (R)

District 29

Don Ipson (R)

Republican Party (22)

Democratic Party (6)

Forward Party (1)