DAVIS COUNTY—There were some surprising results from Tuesday’s primary with newcomers unseating a few incumbents. Probably one of the biggest upsets was Senate President Stuart Adams’ loss to Stephanie Hollist. Adams, a Layton resident, has served in the legislature for over 20 years, first in the House and then in the Senate. He became Senate President in 2019. Some believe his stance on the data center could have cost him the election.

County Commissioner Bob Stevenson had a big win over incumbent Rep. Trevor Lee in District 17 (unofficial) 66% to 33%. Lee was the Republican backed candidate coming out of convention. Stevenson will face a Democratic opponent in the November election.

“We’ve run a lot of campaigns over the years. We have always found that we put together a marketing plan and we stick to it,” said Stevenson. “From the get go one of the things that I will not allow is negative campaigning. I don’t ever call my opponent out. I stay away from that.”

Stevenson said he felt very confident throughout the campaign that his message was getting out there and was resonating with people. “One of the things that I’ve been pushing is doing away with income tax on social security benefits for seniors.”

Another thing is housing and trying to give these young kids the ability to be able to get into a home, he said. “I think these are things within the legislature we can build support for to get accomplished.”

Kaysville Mayor Tamara Tran beat out Robert Wanless for Senate Seat District 6 and will face a Democratic opponent in November. “I decided to run because I want to see how the government works with the local level,” said Tran. “I’ve learned about local control and why it’s so important and the proper role of the state government and I wanted to run to make sure that our voices are heard locally and that we can support the wonderful plan that is the state of Utah and how we do that together. That’s really important to me.”

This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to elevate and influence, she said. “But I’m really sad (to leave office). I absolutely love Kaysville and have loved serving. It’s been such an incredible honor to serve my city and to get to know residents better and just the whole area regionally.”

Tran said she’s been involved with the legislature. “I frequently go up to the Hill and speak at committee meetings and provide my input in work sessions. So definitely I want to make sure I’m involved and know what’s happening and know the direction that people are wanting to go.”

There were two races in the County Commission for Seat A and Seat B. Former Bountiful Mayor Kendalyn Harris won (unofficially) her race for Seat A against Scott Fletcher and John Adams. Results as of Tuesday night showed Harris with 43.23% and Fletcher with 30.27% and Adams 26.50%. 

Commission Seat B between Commissioner Lorene Kamalu and Susan Lee was still too close to call as of press time Wednesday afternoon.

“I plan to really make sure I understand all the issues and what’s going on at the county and my top priority will be to get the county’s fiscal house in order and make sure we have a balanced budget,” said Harris. “I’ll be doing some homework and some research and talking to everyone I can to make sure I understand what the status is and what needs to happen.”

Harris said she feels like her role as commissioner will be to make sure that the financial health of the county is sound. “(I want to) investigate what those next steps are, working with the controller and working with fellow elected officials, staff and employees while getting input from residents. I think that can be achieved.”

There’s probably not a magic wand or quick fix answer, she said. “But I do believe that it’s possible to achieve that balance where we are listening to the public but we are also really focused on the county’s financial health and making that a priority.”

Harris said she is very grateful to all the voters who came out and voted. “I am really grateful to the many people that helped me on my campaign. It’s really humbling to have so many people help. And then of course the voters as an extension of that. Many people cast a vote and I’m so grateful.”

To follow election updates go to Election results.