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Tom Liljegren

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Tom Liljegren
Image of Tom Liljegren
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Utah

Graduate

Utah State University

Personal
Profession
College administrator
Contact

Tom Liljegren (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 2. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Elections

2024

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Mike Petersen defeated Tom Liljegren in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Petersen
Mike Petersen (R)
 
74.0
 
14,303
Image of Tom Liljegren
Tom Liljegren (D) Candidate Connection
 
26.0
 
5,032

Total votes: 19,335
Candidate Connection = 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. Tom Liljegren advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 2.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Mike Petersen defeated Mike Monson in the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 2 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Petersen
Mike Petersen
 
58.8
 
3,765
Image of Mike Monson
Mike Monson Candidate Connection
 
41.2
 
2,640

Total votes: 6,405
Candidate Connection = 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 House of Representatives District 2

Tom Liljegren advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 2 on March 30, 2024.

Candidate
Image of Tom Liljegren
Tom Liljegren (D) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = 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 2

Incumbent Mike Petersen advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 2 on April 13, 2024.

Candidate
Image of Mike Petersen
Mike Petersen (R)

Candidate Connection = 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

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Liljegren in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Tom Liljegren completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Liljegren'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 am a lifelong educator who believes listening, learning, and collaborating are the first steps of leadership. I am running for office because I want to see our legislature make a more tangible positive impact in our community. I've been frustrated to see so much our legislature's time focused on special interests and message bills that will have little effect on our community. I've been even more concerned to see specific groups' rights targeted and threatened. I believe that legislators are meant to be representatives for all members of their community. I want to listen to you, as well as other local community leaders, to know you want to see from your legislator. And, I want to focus on legislation that makes a tangible impact on improving our quality of life and managing the growth in our community.
  • Education I have spent my career working in public education, from preschool through higher education. I believe that all children deserve an excellent education, and that we can do better than we are doing now. I want to make sure that education is fully funded and that teachers are empowered and prepared to make an impact in their classroom. I also know that education doesn’t stop at high school, and I support funding for higher education and vocational training to enable Utah students to continue their education.
  • Managing Growth Our north Cache Valley communities continue to grow rapidly. I want our legislature to empower our communities to manage this grown to make sure our infrastructure grows along with our population, and that our cities and county are able to make the choices to manage the growth in our communities. 1) I want to increase the amount of funding that comes to Cache Valley to support growth and infrastructure. 2) I will work with county and city leaders as well as Cache Valley employers to know the legislative needs of our communities to manage growth. 3) I support greater infrastructure development, especially to manage our water resources and roads.
  • Quality of Life I support legislation to improve the quality of life for Cache Valley. The legislature can do a lot of good in improving the health and everyday life of our community, and I want to be a part of creating positive change. A few specific initiatives I support are: 1) Expanding financial support for daycare for families who need it. 2) Mandatory paid maternity and paternity leave for all employees. 3) Paid vacation and sick leave for all employees. 4) Support for community arts and parks.
I’m passionate about many issues, but the biggest change I want to represent is in the process of how our legislature works.

I want the lawmaking process to be more open and transparent, and for citizens and lawmakers to have the time and opportunity to make their voices heard as part of the legislative process.

Multiple proposed or enacted Utah Constitutional amendments the last few years have given the legislature greater authority over the budget and call themselves into session. I want to empower citizens and ensure that the legislature isn’t overstepping its role.

I want to be a collaborator who will work with citizens and lawmakers with respect and kindness.
My two greatest heroes are Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) and Carl Rogers (a prominent psychologist). Both of them made a big impact on the world through kindness, respect, and helping others feel loved.
First, honesty and integrity in how a representative acts in office. There is a general mistrust of the intentions and actions of politicians (often earned). It takes work and extra effort to earn trust back.

Second, listening and respect. A representative needs to understand and be responsive to the needs of the community. This takes listening to understand the community needs. Additionally, every community member should feel respected and heard, regardless of if political beliefs perspectives align or not.
1) Managing growth in Utah and Cache Valley. This impacts education, water, the environment, infrastructure, and almost every other area. It is important that Cache Valley gets the support we need in managing this growth and that we plan to manage this in a way that doesn’t harm our environment or our quality of life.

2) Our nation and community has grown more divided politically. Political discussions have become increasingly charged and more disrespectful. I want to help bridge this divide and increase civility in politics and our community.
1) I would work with other fellow legislators, local community government leaders, and business leaders to try to ensure that Cache Valley gets the support and planning necessary to effectively manage growth.

2) I would like to sponsor a bill to require paid parental leave for new parents.
I think transparency and accountability are a crucial part of the government earning back trust. It should be clear what conflicts representatives have and who is funding them, as well as who they are meeting with and who is influencing them throughout their legislative work.
I strongly oppose the proposed changes to allow the legislature to change citizen ballot initiatives.

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


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.


Tom Liljegren campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Utah House of Representatives District 2Lost general$2,514 $-2,202
Grand total$2,514 $-2,202
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal 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

See also


External links

Footnotes


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
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Katy Hall (R)
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
Ken Ivory (R)
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
Rex Shipp (R)
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
Republican Party (61)
Democratic Party (14)