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Utah's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014
2016 →
← 2012
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November 4, 2014 |
No primary, due to conventions |
Mia Love  |
Jim Matheson  |
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Cook Political Report: Likely Republican[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] |
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The 4th Congressional District of Utah held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. In December 2013, incumbent Jim Matheson (D) announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014.[3] Mia Love (R), Doug Owens (D), Jim Vein (L), Tim Aalders (Independent American) and Collin Robert Simonsen (Constitution) faced off in the general election for Matheson's seat. Love won the general election, becoming the first black, female Republican to serve in Congress. The race was rated a "Safe Republican" contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.[4]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Utah, state law allows parties to decide who may vote in their primaries.[5] Check Vote.Utah.gov for details about upcoming elections.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: Voters needed to register to vote in the primary by either May 25, 2014, by mail, or June 9, 2014, online. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[6]
- See also: Utah elections, 2014
Incumbent: The incumbent, Jim Matheson (D), was first elected in 2002. He announced in December 2013 that he would not seek re-election in 2014, leaving the seat open.[3]
Utah's 4th Congressional District is located in central Utah. It includes portions of Juab, Salt Lake, Sanpete, and Utah counties.[7]
Candidates
General election candidates[8]
April 26, 2014, Convention results
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Withdrew from race
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mia Love |
50.9% | 74,936 | |
| Democratic | Doug Owens | 45.8% | 67,425 | |
| Libertarian | Jim Vein | 0.9% | 1,351 | |
| Independent | Tim Aalders | 1.4% | 2,032 | |
| Constitution | Collin Robert Simonsen | 1% | 1,424 | |
| Total Votes | 147,168 | |||
| Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor, "Elections," | ||||
Democratic convention results
On April 26, 2014, Doug Owens won the Democratic nomination during Utah's Democratic Convention with 98 percent of the vote. Bill Peterson lost, receiving two percent of the vote.[14]
Republican convention results
On April 26, 2014, at Utah’s GOP Convention, delegates chose Mia Love as the Republican candidate in the 2014 general election. Love won with 662 votes, or 78.74 percent, while Bob Fuehr received 181 votes, or 21.26 percent.[15]
After wining the nomination Love said, "I am honored to have their support. They really make this process awesome for me. This is my favorite part. Going on from here, we are going to work hard. We are not going to take anything for granted. I am going to go out and earn every vote and really amplify Utah’s voice."[16]
Utah uses a convention-primary system to choose candidates for general elections. At the state nominating convention, delegates cast votes for a candidate on behalf of their district. If a delegate receives 60 percent of the votes, the candidate moves on to the general election; otherwise, the two remaining candidates compete in a primary election.[17] According to The Salt Lake Tribune, “The group Count My Vote, led by former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and other influential and well-heeled Republicans, launched a petition drive last year to put a measure on the ballot to strip the party conventions of most of their authority, arguing the caucus-convention system is exclusionary and doesn’t represent the average Utahn.”[16]
Race background
Matheson retirement
Incumbent Jim Matheson (D) was one of seven early targets listed by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in the 2014 congressional elections.[18] Matheson was also a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2014 election.[19] On December 17, 2013, Matheson announced that he would not be seeking re-election in 2014. In a Facebook post he wrote, "When I launched my first campaign in 1999, I knew that the arc of my public service would have many chapters. It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Utah during my time in the United States House of Representatives, but my time in the House should not be the sum total of my service."[3]
"On the Radar"
The National Republican Congressional Committee added Mia Love (R) to their "On the Radar" list in November 2013. According to the NRCC, candidates that made this list were set to receive "...the tools they need to run successful, winning campaigns against their Democratic opponents."[20][21]
Polls
| General Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Mia Love | Doug Owens | Tim Aalders | Collin Simonsen | Jim Vein | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||
| UtahPolicy.com October 7-9, 2014 | 49% | 40% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 9% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Endorsements
Mia Love
Love was endorsed by The Allen West Guardian Fund. The announcement can be viewed in the video below.
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- Mitt Romney headlined a fundraiser for Love on October 6. He said, "I’m glad to be supporting Mia Love again and we are going to win this time. I’m convinced she’s not going to be just a congresswoman, she’s going to be a great congresswoman."[22]
Media
Mia Love
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Doug Owens
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Campaign contributions
Mia Love
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Love's reports.[23]
| Mia Love (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[24] | April 15, 2013 | $134,840.54 | $55,916.40 | $(43,857.53) | $146,899.41 | ||||
| July Quarterly[25] | July 15, 2013 | $146,899.41 | $476,036.25 | $(167,395.24) | $455,540.42 | ||||
| October Quarterly[26] | October 15, 2013 | $455,540.42 | $592,355.97 | $(376,054.13) | $671,842.26 | ||||
| Year-End[27] | January 31, 2014 | $671,842 | $516,312 | $(472,037) | $716,117 | ||||
| Pre-Convention[28] | April 14, 2014 | $716,117.89 | $466,761.73 | $(550,909.62) | $631,970.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,107,382.35 | $(1,610,253.52) | ||||||||
Doug Owens
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Owens' reports.[29]
| Doug Owens (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Convention[30] | April 14, 2014 | $0.00 | $132,890.09 | $(15,033.55) | $117,856.54 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $132,890.09 | $(15,033.55) | ||||||||
Bob Fuehr
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Fuehr's reports.[31]
| Bob Fuehr (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[32] | April 8, 2013 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| July Quarterly[33] | July 9, 2013 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| October Quarterly[34] | October 1, 2013 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| Year-End[35] | January 3, 2014 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $0 | $(0) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2012
In the 2012 general election, Democrat Jim Matheson was elected to the newly created 4th Congressional District of Utah. Matheson defeated Mia Love (R) and Jim Vein (L) in a tight race that was determined to be too close to call well after the polls closed on November 6, 2012. Love conceded the following day.[36]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Matheson Incumbent |
48.8% | 119,803 | |
| Republican | Mia B. Love | 48.5% | 119,035 | |
| Libertarian | Jim L. Vein | 2.6% | 6,439 | |
| Total Votes | 245,277 | |||
| Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR AUGUST 8, 2014," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Hill, "Rep. Jim Matheson won't run for re-election," December 17, 2013
- ↑ Roll Call, "2014 Election Race Ratings," accessed September 16, 2014
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, "Utah Code § 20A-9-403. Regular primary elections." accessed May 13, 2025
- ↑ Lt. Governor's Office, "Online Voter Registration," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Utah.gov, "2014 Candidate Filings," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Mia Love Announces Utah Rematch," accessed May 21, 2013
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Democrats elect Corroon as chairman, tap Owens in 4th District," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ St. George News, "Utah GOP Convention chooses returning candidates, runoffs; STGnews photo gallery," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ Campaign website, "About," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ DesertNews.com, "Johnson withdraws from 4th District congressional race," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Democrats elect Corroon as chairman, tap Owens in 4th District," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ St. George News, "Utah GOP Convention chooses returning candidates, runoffs; STGnews photo gallery," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Salt Lake Tribune, "Mia Love clinches Republican nomination at Utah convention,” accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ UtahGOP.org, "Utah Republican Party Bylaws," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "NRCC, promising to 'stay on offense,' targets seven Dems," accessed January 16, 2013
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," accessed March 5, 2013
- ↑ Roll Call, "House Republicans Put 36 Recruits ‘On the Radar’," accessed November 21, 2013
- ↑ NRCC Young Guns, "List," accessed March 20, 2014
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Romney headlines rally, fundraiser for Mia Love," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Love 2014 Summary reports," accessed November 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly", accessed November 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly", accessed November 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly", accessed November 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-Convention," accessed May 9, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Owens 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 9, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-Convention," accessed May 9, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Fuehr 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "Republican Mia Love concedes to Democrat Jim Matheson in Utah," November 7, 2012
