Republicans’ Utah House supermajority still on track to break as counting continues in tight races

A couple of the closest Utah House races have flipped again as more votes are counted, with Democrats leading in what are currently Republican-held seats.

If results stand, House Republicans’ supermajority is still set to break, with the GOP losing 16 seats. As of Monday, Republicans had 45 seats, Democrats had 28, and unaffiliated candidates were poised to take two districts, according to the firm Morgan and May. 

Morgan Republican Rep. Tiara Auxier is trailing Democrat Zane Woolstenhulme, who as of Monday had received 51.49% of votes in House District 4, representing areas in Rich, Morgan and Summit counties. Woolstenhulme is ahead by 565 votes.

Auxier wished Woolstenhulme well on a social media post Sunday and said that while this may be the end of her term in the Utah House, she will continue her public service efforts.

“Serving reinforced my belief that government works best when it remembers who it works for,” Auxier wrote. “I love the people of this district. You represent some of the very best of Utah, and it has been a privilege to serve you.”

Democratic candidate Celeste Johnson is also ahead in the race for House District 59, a seat vacated by Republican Rep. Mike Kohler, who did not seek reelection this year. Johnson had received 50.89% of the votes tallied by Monday, leading Republican Luke Searle, who got 49.11%, a 322-vote difference.  

However, a Republican candidate has taken over the lead in the race for District 48’s seat, left open by Herriman Republican Rep. Doug Fiefia, who has won a seat in the Utah Senate. Jake Hunsaker, a Republican, had 51.03% of votes on Monday, 298 more than Democratic candidate Benyde Walker.

“Things are looking up, but the county still is counting a handful of provisional ballots, absentee ballots, and there are some ballots coming in as well,” Hunsaker said on Monday on his Instagram account. “We don’t believe those are going to be statistically significant, but we’re being patient, and we’re not counting any chickens before they hatch, and we’re riding the ride alongside you. So my hope is we get more information from the county today, and we will be able to make some decisions about what the next steps look like in this race.”

In the Senate, incumbent Emily Buss, the sole Forward Party lawmaker in the state, is still behind Republican challenger Brooks Benson by a tight margin. Benson is leading with 50.81% of votes in the race for Senate District 11, representing areas in Tooele and Utah counties. That’s 512 more votes than what Buss had claimed. 

Election results are not official until county and state canvasses are completed on Nov. 23.