Primary election results: Elison, Walter, Jack, Almquist lead early in Washington County
Washington County is having one of its busiest primary election seasons for local races, with six primary elections — three for house district races, two for the local school board and one for a seat on the county commission.
Many candidates were able to force a primary election since they collected signatures to avoid losing due to a delegate vote at the county convention.
More: 2022 Primary election voter guide: Candidates, issues and how to vote in Southern Utah
All though there were many primaries it seems like there was only one race that was very close and will need additional ballots counted to determine the winner, although that could change.
Preliminary Results
Commission Seat A
Gil Almquist 15,645 votes / (62.64%)
Allen Davis 9,333 votes / (37.36%)
Total votes: 24,978 votes
House District 72
Willie Billings 3,136 votes / (49.68%)
Joseph Elison 3,176 votes / (50.32%)
Total Votes: 6,312
House District 73
Nina Barnes 1,993 votes / (37.98%)
Colin Jack 3,254 votes / (62.02%)
Total votes: 5,247
House District 74
Kristy Pike 2,931 votes / (38.46%)
Neil Walter 4,690 votes / (61.54%)
Total Votes: 7,621
Washington County District 5
Willard "Jake" Peart 992 votes / (21.7%)
Edyth Lang 1,227 votes / (26.84%)
David Stirland (incumbent) 2,352 votes / (51.45%)
Total Votes: 4,571
Washington County District 6
Susan Gilman-Hasenwinkel 770 votes / (16.79%)
Burke Staheli 2,776 votes / (60.52%)
Kelly Blake (incumbent) 1,041 votes / (22.69%)
Total Votes: 4,587 votes
It should be noted that these results are just preliminary and will be updated in the future. Since Utah conducts its elections primarily through mail-in ballots more ballots will be mailed to county clerks to be counted.
The status of your ballot can be checked by going to the votesearch.utah.gov website.
Washington County Commission Seat A
Gil Almquist 15,645 votes / (62.64%)
Allen Davis 9,333 votes / (37.36%)
Total votes: 24,978 votes
This primary is a rematch of the 2018 GOP primary for this same seat on the Washington County Commission. Almquist won that election with about 66% of the vote.
The election night results show a similar result to the last primary between the two candidates but with Almquist having a slight dip from 66% to 62%. More ballots will be counted but it would be a stretch for Davis to make up the 25-point difference.
Davis has not held public office before and currently works for the Energy Services Department with the City of St. George. Almquist has held several public offices, he was on the St. George planning commission for 16 years and the city council for 8 years. Outside of politics Almquist is involved in the landscaping business.
Davis has been a proponent of expanding the three-member commission to five, saying it would allow for better representation of voices in Washington County on the commission. He has also thrown his could support a building moratorium due to concerns over scarce water resources and suggest water rates should increase to encourage conservation.
Both candidates say they want to limit federal overreach within Washington County, both saying local people should have more say in how the land in the county should be used.
Almquist wants to continue his work on the county commission to continue helping the county bring the necessary infrastructure to continue its population growth.
The winner between Almquist and Davis will face Robert Davis, a Democrat, in the November general election.
House District 72
Willie Billings 3,136 votes / (49.68%)
Joseph Elison 3,176 votes / (50.32%)
Total Votes: 6,312
This race features candidates with very similar backgrounds both are self-employed financial advisers and have not held public office before this election. Although Billings has sought this office before since he ran against Rep. Brad Last during the 2020 election, Billings lost this election by 200 votes.
Last announced he would not be seeking re-election after serving nearly 20 years in the Utah Legislature.
This was the closest race in the county with just 40 votes separating the two candidates. It may have been tough for voters to differentiate the two candidates who have said they would likely vote in "lockstep" on most issues at a debate in May. The additional ballots being counted over the next few days will likely determine the winner of the race since 40 is a very small margin even for a state house race.
Although Billings has never won an election he has been politically involved in southern Utah for a long time, he has held leadership positions in the county Republican party on the executive committee and chairman, according to his website. Elison has less political involvement although he has served 12 years on the Toquerville Board of Adjustments, according to his website.
Billings got about 62% of the delegate vote at the county convention, Elison gathered signatures to appear on the primary ballot.
Both candidates have expressed conservative viewpoints, and both have spoken in favor of increasing parental choice in schools. Billing has said he wants to shift funding gained from state lands to further increase school funding and Elison has spoken in favor of setting funding aside for school vouchers for students to attend private schools.
This district covers the eastern part of Washington County including Hurricane and Zion National Park. If Billings wins he could be part of a political power couple since he was wife, Nannette Billings, was elected last year to be the mayor of Hurricane.
Billings had the advantage when it came to campaign finance for this election. He almost doubled Elison in contributions with $58,900 compared to Elison's $26,400 in contributions. A large portion of Billings' contributions came from construction and development companies, while Elison mostly self-funded his campaign.
More: 2022 primary election: Campaign finance reports show thousands spent in Washington County
The winner of this primary will have to face off against Ila Fica, a Democrat, in the general election.
House District 73
Nina Barnes 1,993 votes / (37.98%)
Colin Jack 3,254 votes / (62.02%)
Total votes: 5,247
This race is between two familiar faces in southern Utah politics. Jack has been a long time county Republican party official with most recently serving as the vice-chair for the party and Barnes most recently serving as the vice-chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education.
In that position on the Board of Higher Education Barnes was one of many officials that approved the name change of Dixie State University to Utah Tech University, which is effective July 1. A lot of discussion around this race has revolved around this decision with the Defending Southwest Utah Heritage Coalition launching nearly constant attacks on Barnes on social media for this vote.
This election so far has fewer voters than the other state house races in the county but does show a comfortable lead for Jack. It would be difficult for Barnes to climb the 24-point gap between the two.
More: Dixie State-Utah Tech name change a ‘litmus test’ for some Washington County Republicans
Barnes defended her decision to vote for the name change since the university board of trustees approved it before the Board of Higher Education voted on it and she said she values "local control" over the name change.
Before Barnes' work on education, she served for eight years on the Cedar City council and is involved in the real estate industry. Outside of politics, Jack works as the chief operations officer for Dixie Power.
Barnes did outraise and outspend Jack with campaign finance for this election, she raised over $48,000 and spent over $34,000. Her contributors came from a mix of individuals, political organizations and elected officials in the Legislature.
Jack raised over $20,000 and spent over $16,000 for this election. His main contributors were individuals and power companies, Jack also got a $300 donation from Rep. Phil Lyman (R-Blanding) who has already claimed, with no evidence, there was election fraud in this election. Utah's top election official Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has said no fraudulent activities have been spotted yet but her office is ready to respond to any claims of fraud.
More: 2022 primary election: Campaign finance reports show thousands spent in Washington County
Jack was able to secure a majority of the delegate vote at the county convention, where he got 56% of the vote. Barnes got on the ballot by collecting signatures, Jack has said he would make it a priority to eliminate the signature-gathering nomination method.
This race already saw its fair share of drama before any vote was cast, this is due to the third name on the ballot for this primary, Travis Seegmiller, who is the incumbent for this district which was District 62 but was renumbered during the redistricting process.
He is the incumbent for this seat but announced he was resigning his position effective July 1, after he pleaded to a charge of taking wildlife while trespassing and two other counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm were dismissed. Seegmiller says these charges didn't have anything to do with his resignation but rather his resignation was necessary since he is moving outside of District 73.
More: Utah Rep. Travis Seegmiller announces plans to resign months ahead of 2022 election
There was some controversy on how to replace Seegmiller for the rest of his current term, the Washington County Republican Party wanted to fill his seat in early June a month before his resignation took place. Barnes said the party should wait until Seegmiller's resignation was official but the party proceeded with its plan and Jack was the only person to file to replace Seegmiller meaning no matter the result of this election Jack will serve the next few months in the Utah Legislature.
More: Washington County Republicans fight over Utah House seat left open by lawmaker's resignation
Despite these events taking place weeks before the primary Seegmiller announced his resignation after the ballots were printed so any vote for Seegmiller will not be counted in this election.
There is no non-Republican candidate in this race so it's likely Jack will win the seat after the November general election.
House District 74
Kristy Pike 2,931 votes / (38.46%)
Neil Walter 4,690 votes / (61.54%)
Total Votes: 7,621
This race is between two political newcomers since neither Pike or Walter has held elected office before and features no incumbent. Rep. Lowry Snow currently holds this seat but announced months ago he wouldn't be seeking re-election after serving 10 years in the Utah Legislature.
Walter is the CEO of the real estate company ERA Brokers, and Kristy Pike, the director of the Washington County Children’s Justice Center.
Like several other races in Washington County, this one looks like the winner has been picked although the numbers may change, with Walter having a 23-point lead over Pike.
Pike says there are many pressing issues she wants to address if elected. Some of which include creating more housing options, a focus on securing water resources and increased spending on public safety and mental health services.
Walter has said he wants to give southern Utah an independent voice in the Utah Legislature. Walter, who has taught at the university and been on charter school boards, has been He says he would focus on education issues including parental choice in curriculum and health choices for their kids. He is also vocal about protecting the Dixie name in Washington County, something which Snow was attacked for since he voted to change the Dixie name.
More: Dixie State-Utah Tech name change a ‘litmus test’ for some Washington County Republicans
Walter received about 73% of the delegate vote at the county convention, Pike secured her place on the ballot by collecting signatures.
Walter did outraise and out spend Pike for this election. He got just under $36,000 in contributions, although $30,000 of that came from himself and his mother, and spent just under $26,000 om this election.
More: 2022 primary election: Campaign finance reports show thousands spent in Washington County
Pike got just over $28,000 in campaign contributions and spent over $20,000 on her election. These came from a mix of contributors including individuals, political organizations and businesses. Pike’s largest campaign donor was Education First Utah. This group donated just over $7,700 to Pike.
There is no non-Republican candidate in this race so it's likely Walter will win the seat after the November general election.
School District Races
Washington County District 5
Willard "Jake" Peart 992 votes / (21.7%)
Edyth Lang 1,227 votes / (26.84%)
David Stirland (incumbent) 2,352 votes / (51.45%)
Total Votes: 4,571
Peart is still on the primary ballot despite being arrested in April of 2021 for his involvement in the January 6th insurrection that happened at the U.S. Capitol. He pleaded guilty in January this year to entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in the Capitol Building and surrounding area. Peart was sentenced by a federal court to 60 days of home detention and three years of probation.
Peart works as a real estate agent for ERA Brokers. He's been endorsed by the right-wing group the Liberty Action Coalition and in statements of support on social media they say Peart is for school vouchers, more teachers but less school buildings, cars, administrators and sports facilities.
Lang is a 2nd and 3rd-grade teacher working at Springdale Elementary, according to the school's faculty list.
Stirland is the incumbent in this race and is seeking his third term on the board after winning elections in 2014 and 2018.
Washington County District 6
Susan Gilman-Hasenwinkel 770 votes / (16.79%)
Burke Staheli 2,776 votes / (60.52%)
Kelly Blake (incumbent) 1,041 votes / (22.69%)
Total Votes: 4,587 votes
Like the other school district race in Washington County, there are three candidates in this race — Susan Gilman-Hasenwinkel, Kelly Blake and Burke Staheli.
Gilman-Hasenwinkel is a former teacher with 40 years of experience and recently worked for 17 years as an English teacher at Hurricane High School and left that job in 2021, according to her Facebook profile.
Blake is the incumbent for this seat and currently serves as the president of the school board. He has served on the school board for a long time since he was the incumbent in the 2014 election and was unopposed in the 2018 general election.
Staheli is currently the principal at Riverside Elementary in Washington City. On his Facebook page, Staheli says one of his main goals if elected to the board is to promote American patriotism in schools.
Sean Hemmersmeier covers local government, growth and development in Southwestern Utah. Follow on Twitter @seanhemmers34. Our work depends on subscribers so if you want more coverage on these issues you can subscribe here: http://www.thespectrum.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: GOP primary shows early lead for Elison, Walter, Jack and Almquist
