Some Democrats are losing their leads in Salt Lake County races according to the latest round of ballot tallies.
The incumbent for the an at-large seat, Shireen Ghorbani, is now just 84 votes ahead of Republican Laurie Stringham. Democratic Party officials elected Ghorbani to the council in 2019 to replace Jenny Wilson when she became county mayor.
Other Democrats have fallen behind. The party’s candidate for county assessor, Jennifer Fresques, previously held a lead by a few percentage points over Republican Chris Stavros. She now lags by just over one point. The Republican incumbent Treasurer, K. Wayne Cushing, once locked in a close race with Democrat Michael McDonald, now leads by about five points. Recorder Rashelle Hobbs continues holding an edge over Republican challenger Erin Preston, although it has narrowed from 12 points on election night to just two points as of Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, County Council candidates Dave Alvord and Dea Theodore have widened their leads against their Democratic opponents in two open seats, all but securing continued GOP control of the council.
Mayor Wilson remains comfortably ahead of her opponent, Republican Trent Staggs, by more than 7 points. Staggs conceded the race last week.
Leia Larsen is a sixth generation Utahn and a water and land use reporter reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. She has covered environment, energy and political issues throughout the West. When she’s not chasing the news, Leia can be found exploring the Wasatch Mountains, sleeping in the desert or rooting around her garden.