Utah Rep. Brett Garner falters at Democratic convention, will lose his House seat

Rep. Brett Garner speaks on the House floor on Feb. 23, 2024 (Courtesy of Utah House Democrats).

Utah House Democrats can already expect to see some turnover after the November election.

Rep. Brett Garner, D-West Valley City, hit a dead end in his reelection bid this weekend when he failed to nab the Salt Lake County Democratic Party’s nomination. 

Garner — who was appointed in January to fill the House District 31 seat left vacant by then-Rep. Karen Kwan after she won a special election to replace Sen. Karen Mayne — lost to his Democratic challenger Verona Mauga during the county’s nominating convention on Saturday. 

Mauga won with 73% of the vote (30 votes) to Garner’s 27% (11 votes), according to the Salt Lake County Democratic Party. 

Both Mauga and Garner declared their intent to gather signatures, but neither gathered enough (1,000) to secure their place on the ballot, according to the state’s election website. Now, after clinching the party’s nomination, Mauga will advance to the November election ballot. Garner’s path to reelection ended with party delegates’ vote. 

In a post on X ahead of Saturday’s convention vote, Garner acknowledged he faced a “tough fight” for his party’s nomination, urging his supporters to post their endorsements. 

After the vote, Garner congratulated Mauga in a message to his constituents and wished her the best during the general election, when she will face off with Republican candidate Andrew Nieto. 

“It has been a great honor to serve as your state representative,” Garner wrote, noting he’ll serve out the remainder of his term through December. “I thank you for being willing to share with me your concerns about our state’s government.”

Mauga is a first-generation immigrant and a small business owner, according to her campaign website. She owns and operates both Sagato Bakery & Cafe in Midvale and Renew Wellness & Recovery in Herriman. 

Mauga’s campaign website also describes her as a community advocate, noting that after she responded to a tsunami in Samoa in 2009, she “became a community organizer, setting the stage for a lifetime of advocacy and service.” Her platform focused on “economic opportunity, sensible gun laws and accessible healthcare.” 

Mauga was among a group of Asian American and Pacific Islander candidates that filed to run for various elected offices across Utah this year, FOX 13 reported. If she wins election, Mauga told the outlet she would be the first Samoan to win a legislative seat in Utah — and the continental U.S.

In a statement to Utah News Dispatch on Monday, Mauga said she was “thrilled” with Saturday’s convention results, expressing gratitude to her supporters. 

“Our message clearly resonated with convention goers,” she said. “I am committed to community, dedicated to results. We intend to earn every vote in my district and win in November.”

One other House Democrat lost to an opponent during the county convention — but he gathered signatures and qualified for the primary ballot. Longtime Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, only got 27% of the vote to Grant Miller’s 73%. 

Briscoe, Miller and a third candidate, Ramón Barthelemy, gathered over the 1,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, so they’ll face off again during the June primary for the House District 24 seat. 

In total, 14 candidates ran across six contested races during the Salt Lake County Democratic Party nominating convention on Saturday. Over 1,000 delegates participated, according to the party. 

“I congratulate the candidates who made it through the Nominating Convention and sincerely thank candidates who’s races came to an end,” said Salt Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jade Valazquez. “Running for public office takes courage and sacrifice and we offer sincere appreciation to everyone involved.”

Other party nominating conventions will take place across the state over the coming weeks. They include: 

• The Salt Lake County Republican Party’s nominating convention will take place April 13 at Cottonwood High School. Delegates will weigh in on 13 contested legislative races, including 10 House races and three Senate races. They’ll also vote on nominees in contested races for county mayor, surveyor county council, and two state school board races. 

• Also on April 13, other counties including Davis, Cache, Box Elder, Weber and Morgan will hold Republican county conventions.
• Tooele County Republicans will hold their convention on April 19.
• Utah and Piute Republican county conventions will take place on April 20, according to the Utah Republican Party’s website. 
• The Utah Republican Party’s state convention — where candidates for multi-county and statewide offices will be nominated — will take place on April 27 at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
• The Utah State Democratic Party Convention is also on April 27 at Cottonwood High School. 

Salt Lake County Democratic Party 2024 nominating convention results

Salt Lake County Council at-large seat: Natalie Pinkney got 51% to Dustin Gettel’s 49%. Deondra Brown was eliminated in the first round of ranked choice voting. Since no candidate reached 55% of the vote, both Pinkney and Gettel will face off in the June primary. 

With no candidate reaching 55% of the vote Natalie Pinkney and Dustin Gettel will be facing off in the June primary.

Salt Lake County District 4: Former Sen. Ross Romero won the nomination with 90% of the vote to Matthew Tracy’s 10%.

House District 22: Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost won the nomination with 81% of the vote to Jakey Siolo’s 19%.

House District 24: Grant Miller got 73% of the vote to Rep. Joel Briscoe’s 27%. Ramón Barthelemy didn’t get any delegate votes. All three candidates gathered signatures and qualified for the June primary.

House District 30: Jacob Fitisemanu won the nomination with 85% of the vote to Sophia Hawes-Tingey’s 15%.

House District 31: Verona Mauga won the nomination with 73% of the vote to Garner’s 27%.

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