Steven Laude, Jr.
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Steven Laude, Jr. (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 38. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Laude completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Steven Laude Jr. was born in Price, Utah. He earned a high school diploma from Carbon High School, an associate degree from the College of Eastern Utah in 2004, and an associate degree from Utah State University Eastern in 2010. His career experience includes working as an electrician. He has been affiliated with IBEW 354.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Utah House of Representatives District 38
Incumbent Cheryl K. Acton defeated Steven Laude, Jr. in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cheryl K. Acton (R) | 61.4 | 9,921 |
Steven Laude, Jr. (D)  | 38.6 | 6,235 | ||
| Total votes: 16,156 | |||
| = 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. Steven Laude, Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 38.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Cheryl K. Acton advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 38.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cathy Richardson (R)
Democratic convention
Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38
Steven Laude, Jr. advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on March 30, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Steven Laude, Jr. (D) | |
| ||||
| = 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 38
Incumbent Cheryl K. Acton advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 38 on April 13, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Cheryl K. Acton (R) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cathy Richardson (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Laude in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steven Laude, Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Laude's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Price Utah, a rural Southeastern town which relied heavily on coal mines. I attended public education in Carbon County, graduating from Carbon High School. I began college at Utah State University Eastern, where I completed a Associate of Science, Associate of Science in Business, and a Certificate of Completion in Accounting/Information Systems. I began my career of being an electrician while attending college for business and accounting, I quickly found out that I had a gift being a blue collar worker. I continued to attend Utah State for years accruing credits in business, while also attending electrical classes and becoming a state certified welder. I finished college through Weber Tech University when I completed my state journeyman license. I met my wife in Salt Lake City, she had been a resident in West Jordan for many years. After we were married, we have lived and owned three different places within a mile and a half in West Jordan, it has been a special place for us for over thirteen years. We raise our three children in the area, attending various public schools, and preschool. I began looking in to politics in 2009, when it became evident to me that the only way to stop corruption in the justice system was to build strong laws to prevent it. I have a strong conviction to stop lifetime politicians, and make the middle class stronger.
- I want children in Utah to have a safe and well funded public education. Utah spends more per pupil in charter schools and never has the money needed to make Utah the number one ranked for best education. One key to this I believe is legalizing the lottery in certain counties that currently suffer (Carbon, Beaver, etc.,) from a change of industry. This will draw people to these areas instead of other states to purchase tickets they were going to anyway. Giving the cities money, the county, and the state. The state funds would be strictly for public education, teachers salaries, and state of the art educational resources. Never for charter schools.
- Public Transit/safety/roads; No public roads should be make with the expectation year after year there will be more construction in the area because Utah refuses to properly plan ahead. One key example is the Mountain View Corridor which spans several cities, and will also be in Utah County. This is and has been a death trap for motorists and pedestrians, it is a vital roadway that needs immediate upgrades to a freeway to save lives. Skybridges, overpasses, and more lanes. This also overlaps in reducing pollution from vehicles that are currently forced in to continuous stop and go patterns, inconsistent speed limits, and hours of accumulated delay from improper signal programming.
- Cheap labor is holding back competitive wages. Buildings and houses are going up without being properly inspected, planned, nor are there laws that protect the consumers post purchase of these being built. Capitalism is great as long as you are the one making money off the sweat of everyone else's back. Unlicensed trade workers, insufficient ground, insufficient park areas and drainage systems, lack of sidewalks all need to be addressed. HOA's are another way that citizens of Utah are being mislead of the cost of living and freedoms. Public land areas are constantly being sold off to rich people who limit access for homes, hunting, and recreation.
I am passionate about the separation of Church and State, that we need to fund police to be properly trained & compensated, we need to care for our veterans where the federal government falls short. Equal rights means equal right, a woman and her health care provider make decisions, not white men & religion. DEI is a necessity in places like Utah that fail to promote and enhance the lives of all. Labor Unions are what make individuals strong, and economies stronger. As a gun owner and carrier, the need for gun laws that close loop holes & protect the general public without infringing on right to protection. That there is an opioid problem, and marijuana use while outside of work shouldn't cost an individual their job.
I have so many people that I look up to now and over the years, each brought me to a place where I am today. My grandma who was a RN, she was selfless, believed in helping everyone, and was so patient with me, and helped raise me. My "Mrs. Wilson" who took me in and let me live with her and her family for so many years and showed me right from wrong, what family is, and what being honest meant to people. My Uncle John who helped teach me how to hunt and fish, made sure I knew he loved me by always showing up and making time for me. My sister Corrine, who has the same work ethic I do, who doesn't buy in to nonsense and always has time to listen and tell the truth. The gentlemen I worked with at Joy Global in Price Utah, that taught me how to be a smart and safe electrician, which set the foundation for my working career. But some of the most important were my teachers. Mrs. Stevens who threw me a birthday party with cake because she knew I didn't have one at home, who cared that I succeeded even when I didn't. The countless teachers that pulled me aside and told me they knew I was smarter than I was projecting, and encouraged me to apply myself in better ways. The college professors who didn't have to spend the extra time with me but did. I look up to my three beautiful kids now and their potential, they teach me more than I have ever been taught in life and what love is.
Elected officials must understand that they represent the people who voted them in to office, and the people in their prospective district/area. They do not represent themselves to become rich, force their morals, push their religion, or take away a peoples rights based on their own prejudice. Elected officials need to listen, hold town halls, make themselves available and accountable to their constituents, be stewards of the community to make it better for the individual and family, not a bought lawmaker for lobbyist. Leadership to make others better, put the right people in the right positions, to replace themselves with persons that have new ideas, different aspects, make decisions based on expert assertions and not political party affiliation. They must conduct business of the office in a publicly transparent manner, if they need to hide what they are doing, hide calendars, hide the reason they made decisions, or hide what lobbyist are telling them, they are not for the people. Principled officials uphold the integrity of the constitution, do not pedal conspiracy theories, and update the people based on facts not fear. Elected officials also respect the integrity of elections, speak out against things that harm people even if it goes against their own party or affiliation.
Persistence to do and pass legislation that helps the people not just a few. A lack of ego and abundance of understanding. Knowing I do not know everything but I will listen and try to help find answers to problems, or solutions. Following through and consistently checking in with constituents to see what has changed and what improvements I need to make, not just getting a vote and disappearing until next time. Working with common sense.
Pass laws that represent the peoples needs, repeal laws that harm the people of Utah. Bring new ideas and strategies to relieve the burden that has been placed on so many. Protect the air they breathe, provide resources to travel safer, conserve and lead with new technologies. Be the voice of the people, and not institutions.
My values never faltered to not do what was right even if it cost me, not based on my perspective, but by doing right by others. When someone hears my name I want them to think of someone they could trust and rely on, that I made better situations that were thought could not be. I want to continue to set an example for my children to become stewards in the community, and be that person who pushes for the rights of everyone, the safety of everyone, and the inclusion of good people.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, I was almost four at the time, and I remember how sad everyone was. There were so many tragedies during the 80's to do with flying, that I developed an irrational fear of flying that I have never gotten over.
I sold beef jerky on the side of the highway starting when I was about eleven years old. I actually had a business name with my sister Lightning Distribution, the name of the jerky was Lone Rider, if memory serves me correct. It was made specially for us and my dad in Ogden, he had his own business, he sold his down in Moab mainly, while I sold in Carbon County area. Every weekend you could find me in Price Canyon or just Southeast of Price selling, my grandma would donate her time to take me.
From Good to Great. I like it because it shows the difference in being a leader compared to a boss.
Any good guy, whether a Marvel character, or Daniel Tiger, someone who does good and is liked for it.
Break my Stride- Matthew Wilder. An oldie but a goodie.
Children going/being hungry, children not feeling safe, children being abused, and not being able to just wave a magic wand and fix it.
Accepting that people get away with doing wrong. This ranges from a moral standpoint, to being able to criminally break the law with no accountability. When I was in high school, I had to do community service for fighting. There was a kid from my school working off hours with me that had gotten a DUI (yes high school), he had to work off less hours than I did. It's also a struggle to me that people who claim to want equality draw the line when it comes to others equality. My main example of this would be I am a father that had my rights reduced and taken away by a judge in Carbon County, even though I had done nothing deserving of the outcome. Yet people constantly were sexist saying I didn't have the same attachment to a child as the mother, and that her decision was just, because she was/is the mother. Equal means equal, regardless of sex, color, religion, or political affiliation.
Accepting that people get away with doing wrong. This ranges from a moral standpoint, to being able to criminally break the law with no accountability. When I was in high school, I had to do community service for fighting. There was a kid from my school working off hours with me that had gotten a DUI (yes high school), he had to work off less hours than I did. It's also a struggle to me that people who claim to want equality draw the line when it comes to others equality. My main example of this would be I am a father that had my rights reduced and taken away by a judge in Carbon County, even though I had done nothing deserving of the outcome. Yet people constantly were sexist saying I didn't have the same attachment to a child as the mother, and that her decision was just, because she was/is the mother. Equal means equal, regardless of sex, color, religion, or political affiliation.
A working relationship, but not one that there currently is. There are three branches of government for a reason, checks and balances, not pass off on bills that hurt people and undermine democracy. They should be working to accountability to the people represented, and not party propaganda.
Cost of living, low wages to combat cost of living, exhausting natural resources, education from some of the lowest in the nation to one of the highest. Equality of people, removing religion as an accelerant to base laws, water conservation, protect natural resources, stop selling off public land to rich people and developers who limit or stop access. Investing in public recreation, mental health resources, police training, stop subsidizing billionaires (NHL and MLB teams), and billionaire owned companies like refineries. School safety, proper road development plans and maintenance, traffic mitigation, and community garden sustainability to feed all the people in need.
No, I say this whole heartedly. People need to be free from the clique's that plague our system here in Utah and across the nation. They need the will to represent the people and to find a way to make that happen.
I do believe it is beneficial to convey a form of relationship, but not one that overlooks a wrong being done. It is well known that a democrat in the house or senate of Utah has almost no chance of getting a bill out of committee without the assistance of a republican to put their name on it. I believe in building relationships with good people, and giving information to everyone to pass bills that benefit Utahns. But there is never a need to have a relationship with a legislator that is corrupt in his/her intentions with laws and how to treat people. Examples would be Phil Lyman and Trevor Lee.
No, I want to be unique, I want to represent the people.
I would want to run for State Senate or Governor of Utah someday, maybe someday real soon. I believe there should be term limits in every office of government, and no one should monopolize a seat, either move on to potential higher positions or move over.
My daughter came up with this on her own: What do my dad's coworkers feel when they find out he isn't a good electrician? They're shocked!
I would introduce a bill that makes the lottery legal in certain counties that have been impacted by a tough transition into modern technology. Examples would be Carbon County that relies heavily on coal, Beaver County that just lost its main economy from farms shutting down. If people are going to drive to other states to purchase these, why not have them drive to these areas. It provides local economic moneys, and sets up moneys for state education. This state money could only be used for public education purposes, which would be the start of taking our education system from one of the last in the country to one of the top. From actual educational improvements over the next ten years, to teachers salaries. Also this would reduce to almost eliminate taxes currently used for educational purposes. I would also like to make some of these areas a number one priority to farm hemp or marijuana, to further boost the economies in these areas, and provide additional income to the state. Moneys from this would also go towards education, but a majority would go to public service like police pay, police training, police compensation to de-escalation of unsafe situations, medical and firefighter personnel. Make public servants like these income tax exempt. That is just a start.
IBEW 354, Labor Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Asian Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus,
I would want to be involved with any and all committees to provide an open mind, unbiased approach, and a voice to all.
I am adamant about transparency and accountability in all aspects of the government (exception of security/private lives, etc.). The people have a right to know who donates to their elected officials, and the reason they push or lobby bills, and why they go against the will of the people (the Utah Proposition 2 Bill).
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Campaign finance summary
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 24, 2024
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
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
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
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
District 51
Leah Hansen (R)
District 52
Cory Maloy (R)
District 53
District 54
Kristen Chevrier (R)
District 55
Jon Hawkins (R)
District 56
Val Peterson (R)
District 57
Nelson Abbott (R)
District 58
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
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)
