Woolstenhulme leads in Summit County as House District 4 race remains close

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah – Zane Woolstenhulme, a Democrat and former Oakley Mayor holds a lead over incumbent Republican Rep. Tiara Auxier in the race for Utah House District 4, with strong support from Summit County voters helping offset Auxier’s advantage in two neighboring counties.

Preliminary results show Woolstenhulme with 4,791 votes, or about 52%, across the three-county district, compared with Auxier’s 4,421 votes, or nearly 48%.

The county-by-county results tell a different story. Auxier received more votes in Morgan and Rich counties, but Woolstenhulme carried Summit County decisively. He received 3,807 votes locally, or 67%, compared with Auxier’s 1,870, or 33%.

District 4 covers all of Morgan and Rich counties and most of Summit County, including much of the Snyderville Basin and communities such as Coalville, Oakley and Kamas.

But Summit County’s representation in the Utah House is more complicated than that. The county is divided among four legislative districts, meaning residents can have different state representatives depending on where they live.

The arrangement stems from Utah’s legislative redistricting process, which follows the decennial census. The current House boundaries were drawn after the 2020 census and took effect for the 2022 election cycle. Under the resulting map, District 4 covers most of Summit County, while three other districts take in smaller portions.

Here’s how the county is divided:

House District 4: Covers most of Summit County, including much of the Snyderville Basin, Silver Creek, Kimball Junction, Pinebrook, Jeremy Ranch, Coalville, Henefer, Oakley, Kamas and surrounding communities. Republican Rep. Tiara Auxier currently represents the district.

House District 23: Includes the Summit Park East and Summit Park West precincts. The district extends primarily into Salt Lake County and is represented by Democratic Rep. Hoang Nguyen.

House District 59: Takes in portions of eastern Summit County, including areas around Deer Valley and Jordanelle, and extends into Wasatch County.

House District 68: Includes a smaller portion of eastern Summit County near the Uinta area and also extends into Wasatch County.

The division means that two Summit County neighbors may vote in different state House races, even though they share the same county government and many of the same regional concerns, including housing, transportation, resort development and public lands.

The District 59 contest is particularly close. Democrat Celeste Johnson, a former Midway mayor, holds a 55-vote advantage over Republican Luke Searle, a Wasatch County councilor. Johnson received 6,039 votes, or about 50%, while Searle received 5,984, just under 50%.

In the state Senate, Republican incumbent Ron Winterton secured another term representing Senate District 20, which includes portions of Summit and Wasatch counties. Winterton received 14,282 votes, or about 63%, compared with Forward Party candidate Annette McRae’s 8,489 votes, or 37%.

The other House races affecting parts of the Wasatch Back also appear to have gone to their incumbents.

In District 23, Nguyen appears to have won reelection with 10,523 votes, or 83%. Republican Franklin Robinson received 1,883 votes, nearly 15%, while Forward Party candidate Cabot Nelson received 266 votes, or 2%.

In District 68, Republican Rep. Scott Chew appears to have secured another term over Constitution Party challenger Sonya Ray. Chew received 6,392 votes, or 86%, compared with Ray’s 1,056 votes.

For Summit County residents unsure which state House district they live in, the county clerk’s office provides precinct maps and an interactive voter map on its precinct maps webpage. The Utah Legislature also offers an online district finder where voters can look up their representation by address.

Election results are preliminary and remain subject to the official canvass.