Derek Brown well ahead in Utah Attorney General election

Derek Brown will likely be Utah’s next attorney general, as he ended the night 30 points ahead of his next closest competitor.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes decided not to seek reelection, which left the seat open. It was a five way race. Brown, a former state lawmaker and former Utah GOP chair, will now be the state’s top attorney.
Throughout his campaign, Brown said he’s visited almost every county and talked to thousands of people. He said he’s been asking for their support in the prayer.
“I say tonight, I would ask for your prayers as we begin this new journey,” said Brown.
Bautista, a seasoned defense attorney, conceded the race to Brown on Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Derek! He’s honorable, experienced, and a dedicated person; well suited to help Utah,” Bautista said in a statement. “I’m certain he will represent us all proudly. I am so honored to all those who supported me and loved the opportunity to serve this great state.”
Brown is hoping to turn a new page in the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
“I will soon be announcing a series of transition teams with some of the most well-known thinkers and lawyers in the state,” said Brown. “And the point of the transition committee will be to look at the ways that we can transform the office and ensure that some of the issues that we have seen in the office will not perpetuate.”
In addition to facing Bautista in the general election, Brown was also challenged by Libertarian candidate Andrew McCullough, United Utah Party candidate Michelle Quist and unaffiliated candidate Austin Hepworth.
For Brown, the race first started in 2023 when he announced an exploratory committee to run for the office — when it was still unclear if Reyes would seek reelection or not. Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert chaired Brown’s committee.
Soon after Reyes announced he would not seek reelection and instead focus on his family and return to private practice. This opened up the race.
Ahead of the Republican convention, Rachel Terry, Frank Mylar and Trent Christensen announced their runs as well. Brown collected enough certified signatures to make it onto the primary ballot before convention.
Then at convention, the delegates eliminated Brown and Christensen, instead advancing Terry and Mylar onto the primary election. The candidates criss-crossed the state to convince voters they would be the best option to open a new page in the attorney general’s office.
Brown had received endorsements from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Herbert, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Blake Moore and several state lawmakers including Senate President Stuart Adams and Speaker Mike Schultz. When the primary election rolled around, he won.
At the Democratic convention, Bautista faced a challenger in David Carlson and won convention — this meant he would make it onto the general election ballot without any primary opponents. McCullough and Quist received their nominations through their party conventions as well.
Heading into the general election, the candidates were asked about how they would restore trust in the office and create a transparent environment.
Both Brown and Bautista said they would make their calendars open to the public. On the trail, Brown spoke about how he would interact with the public and establish a constituents service office.
At the attorney general’s debate, Brown said he traveled the state and hear what people wanted from the office.
“People want someone who will protect the most vulnerable including children, who will protect the state from issues like federal government overreach and will protect the state on the issues involving crime,” Brown said.
Brown and Bautista had some disagreements over how they would handle specific issues. While Brown said he would continue the office’s work on clawing back land from the federal government and litigation against social media companies, Bautista said he wasn’t so sure he would do that.
A poll conducted less than three weeks out from the general election showed Brown had a sizable lead.
The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX among 813 registered voters showed Brown with 40% — a 20-percentage-point lead over Bautista who is at 20%.
The poll showed unaffiliated candidate Austin Hepworth at 5%, United Utah Party candidate Michelle Quist at 4% and Libertarian candidate W. Andrew McCullough at 3%.
Now that voters have signaled their support for Brown and put him in office, he said he’s ready to get to work.