Gary R. Herbert
Gary Herbert (Republican Party) was the Governor of Utah. He assumed office on August 11, 2009. He left office on January 4, 2021.
Herbert (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Governor of Utah. He won in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Herbert assumed office on August 11, 2009, while serving as lieutenant governor of Utah after former governor Jon Huntsman (R) left office to become U.S. ambassador to China.[1][2] Herbert won a special election in 2010 to determine who would serve out the remainder of Huntsman's term. He was elected to a full term in 2012 and re-elected in 2016.[3]
While governor, he served as chair of both the National Governors Association and Western Governors Association. In 2019, he was president of the Council of State Governments.[4]
Biography
Gary R. Herbert was born in American Fork, Utah, to Paul and Carol Peters and was later adopted by his stepfather, Duane Herbert. He grew up in Orem, Utah, and after graduating from Orem High School served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission.[5]
He attended, but did not graduate from, Brigham Young University. While studying there, Herbert joined the Utah National Guard, serving for six years and eventually earning the rank of staff sergeant. When his military service was completed, he began a career in real estate, founding Herbert & Associates Realtors, a brokerage firm based in Orem.
His political career began on the Utah County Commission, where he served for 14 years. During that time he was president of the Utah Association of Counties and the Utah Association of Realtors.[4] Herbert and his wife, Jeannette, also founded and ran a child care service in Orem for 23 years.[5]
Political career
Governor of Utah (2009-2021)
Herbert first became governor of Utah on August 11, 2009, when then-Governor Jon Huntsman stepped down to take a position as U.S. ambassador to China. He later won a special election in 2010 to fill the remainder of Huntsman's term. He was re-elected on November 6, 2012, along with running mate Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell. Herbert won re-election alongside running mate Spencer Cox on November 8, 2016.
Lieutenant governor of Utah (2005-2009)
In 2004, Herbert was a candidate for Governor of Utah until one month before the state nominating convention. At that point, he teamed up with Jon Huntsman and ran as his lieutenant governor. The pair defeated incumbent Olene Walker at the Republican convention and went on to win the general election in November.
Utah County commissioner (1990-2004)
Herbert is a former member of the Utah County Commission. While serving as commissioner, he received the National Outstanding Republican County Elected Official of the Year award.
Elections
2020
Gary R. Herbert did not file to run for re-election.
2016
| Fact check/Are Gov. Herbert's claims about Utah's employment picture accurate? |
| Fact check/Did Utah Governor Gary Herbert raise taxes by over $600 million? |
- See also: Utah gubernatorial election, 2016
General election
Incumbents Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox defeated Mike Weinholtz and Kim Bowman, Brian Kamerath and Barry Short, Dell Schanze and Gregory Duerden, and L.S. Brown in the Utah governor and lieutenant governor election.
| Utah Governor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox Incumbent |
66.75% | 750,828 | |
| Democratic | Mike Weinholtz and Kim Bowman | 28.67% | 322,462 | |
| Libertarian | Brian Kamerath and Barry Short | 3.08% | 34,687 | |
| Independent American Party | Dell Schanze and Gregory Duerden | 1.51% | 16,936 | |
| Write-in | L.S. Brown | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,124,913 | |||
| Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office-Elections | ||||
Primary election
Challenger and Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson (Utah) (R) won 55 percent of the vote at the state convention in April, forcing Herbert into a primary election. In Utah, primary elections are only held if candidates do not secure at least 60 percent of the vote at the party conventions. Despite the show of support from Republican delegates, Johnson ultimately lost the nomination to Herbert by a 44 percent margin during the June 28 primary.
| Utah Republican primary for governor and lieutenant governor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox (incumbents) |
72.1% | 165,678 | ||
| Jonathan Johnson (Utah) and Robyn Bagley | 27.9% | 63,978 | ||
| Total Votes | 229,656 | |||
| Election results via Utah Secretary of State; all precincts reporting. | ||||
Campaign finance
2012
- See also: Utah gubernatorial election, 2012
Hebert and Lt. Gov. Greg Bell ran for re-election. At the statewide Republican Party nominating convention in late April, the pair was supported by 63 percent of the Republican delegates, beating David Kirkham, Morgan Philpot, Kenneth Sumsion, Lane Ronnow, and William Skokos for the Republican Party nomination.[6]
In the November 6 general election, Herbert and Bell defeated Democrats Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton, Libertarians Ken Larsen and Rob Latham, and Constitution Party candidates Kirk Pearson and Tim Alders.[7][8]
| Governor of Utah General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Peter Cooke and Vince Rampton | 27.7% | 253,514 | |
| Republican | Gary Herbert and Greg Bell Incumbent |
68.4% | 624,678 | |
| Libertarian | Ken Larsen and Rob Latham | 2.2% | 19,956 | |
| Constitution | Kirk Pearson and Tim Alders | 1.7% | 15,548 | |
| Total Votes | 913,696 | |||
| Election results via State of Utah | ||||
2010
- See also: Utah gubernatorial election, 2010
Utah was not scheduled to hold a gubernatorial election until 2012. However, elected Republican Jon Huntsman gave up the seat to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China in August 2009. Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert assumed the governorship upon Huntsman's departure, and won the seat by special election in 2010.
General
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Gary Herbert/Greg Bell Incumbent |
64.2% | 381,531 | |
| Democratic | Peter Corroon/Sheryl Allen | 31.8% | 188,911 | |
| Independent | Farley M. Anderson/Steve Maxfield | 2% | 11,842 | |
| Libertarian | W. Andrew McCullough/Aric Cramer, Sr. | 2% | 11,723 | |
| Total Votes | 594,007 | |||
| Election results via State of Utah'' | ||||
Primary
With 70.8 percent of the vote, acting governor Herbert overtook two fellow Republicans to secure the party's nomination in the 2010 special election primary race for governor.
| Governor, 2010 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Gary R. Herbert |
71.1% | 2,386 |
| Daniel Van Oaks Jr. | 24.7% | 830 |
| Richard Martin | 4.2% | 141 |
| Total Votes | 3,357 | |
2008
On November 4, 2008, Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert won re-election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah. They defeated Bob Springmeyer/Valdez, Dell Schanze/Hobbs and Doughton in the general election.
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert Incumbent |
77.6% | 734,049 | |
| Democratic | Bob Springmeyer/Valdez | 19.7% | 186,503 | |
| Libertarian | Dell Schanze/Hobbs | 2.6% | 24,820 | |
| Write-In | Doughton | 0% | 153 | |
| Total Votes | 945,525 | |||
| Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert won election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah. They defeated Matheson/Hale, Larsen/Shadowind and Fonua in the general election.
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert |
57.7% | 531,190 | |
| Democratic | Matheson/Hale | 41.3% | 380,359 | |
| PC | Larsen/Shadowind | 0.9% | 8,399 | |
| Write-In | Fonua | 0% | 12 | |
| Total Votes | 919,960 | |||
| Election results via Elections.utah.gov. | ||||
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Herbert endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[9]
- See also: Endorsements for Ted Cruz
- On October 7, 2016, after The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Trump making comments about women that the Post described as "extremely lewd," Herbert announced he would not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election.[10][11]
- See also: Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape
2012
Gary R. Herbert endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[12]
Noteworthy events
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Herbert expressed uncertainty on the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Utah. He said:
| “ | Governors really don't have the ability to stop refugees from coming into their states, in spite the rhetoric we hear out there. Let's get on the prevention side and make sure that the federal government, which has the number one responsibility, is doing all they can to prevent terrorists from coming into our country.[13] | ” |
| —Gov. Gary Herbert[14] | ||
Republican governors support for Medicaid expansion
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead announced support for a federal proposal to expand Medicaid following the Republican Party's strong showing in the 2014 elections. All three governors sought to receive additional Medicaid funding proposed by President Barack Obama (D) while crafting state-level alternatives to requirements in the Affordable Care Act. Haslam, Herbert, and Mead had joined nine other Republican governors in seeking Medicaid expansion as of December 22, 2014.[15] At the end of Pres. Barack Obama's time in office, 11 Republican governors had adopted Medicaid in their state.[16] Haslam, Herbert, and Mead were not among them; their proposals were each defeated by their state legislatures.[17]
Response to the 2014 illegal immigration surge
- See also: 2014 illegal immigration surge
On July 22, 2014, the Republican governors of Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin sent a letter to President Obama expressing concerns about how the administration was handling the increase in unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between 2013 and 2014.[18] The governors argued that a failure to return the children to their home countries would “send a message that will encourage a much larger movement towards our southern border. We fear that this will put a significant number of children at risk of abuse and neglect on their journey to the United States.”[19]
Job creation ranking
A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Herbert was ranked number 3. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.[20][21]
Judicial appointments
As governor, Herbert was responsible for appointing judges to Utah state courts. In Utah, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. After the governor appoints a judge, she or he must be confirmed by the Utah State Senate. Judges then stand for retention in the next general election more than three years after appointment. For an up-to-date list of all of Herbert's appointees, see Judges appointed by Gary Herbert.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Herbert was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Utah. All 40 delegates from Utah were bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention. Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.
Delegate rules
Delegates from Utah to the Republican National Convention were elected at the Utah state GOP convention in April 2016. All Utah delegates were bound by the results of the state's caucus on the first ballot. If a candidate allocated delegates did not compete at the national convention, then his or her delegates were reallocated and bound to the remaining candidates.
Utah primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Utah, 2016
| Utah Republican Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Ted Cruz |
69.2% | 122,567 | 40 | |
| John Kasich | 16.8% | 29,773 | 0 | |
| Donald Trump | 14% | 24,864 | 0 | |
| Totals | 177,204 | 40 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and CNN | ||||
Delegate allocation
Utah had 40 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district-level delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide caucus vote, he or she received all of the state's district delegates.[22][23]
Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. Utah's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any at-large delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she won all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[22][23]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Herbert and his wife, Jeanette, have six children and eight grandchildren. He is the past president of both the Utah Association of Realtors and the Utah Association of Counties.[4]
See also
| Utah | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Executive actions:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
Footnotes
- ↑ Deseret News, "New governor's first day on the job," August 12, 2009
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Huntsman out as guv, takes new post as ambassador," August 11, 2009
- ↑ CNN, "Herbert wins re-election as Utah Governor," November 6, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Governor Gary R. Herbert, "Gary Richard Herbert," accessed February 6, 2019 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Governor of Utah, "About Gary R. Herbert," accessed May 21, 2012
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Herbert wins nod, Philpot feels betrayed," April 21, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press: Election Results, "Utah - summary vote," accessed June 27, 2012
- ↑ Deseret News, "Election Results" accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ The Hill, "Utah governor voting for Cruz," March 21, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Gary R. Herbert," October 7, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005," October 8, 2016
- ↑ The Republic, "Gov. Gary Herbert endorses Mitt Romney for GOP presidential nomination," February 2, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ "Fox 13 Now, "Herbert now only Republican gov. who has not refused Syrian refugees," November 17, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Three Republican governors have now endorsed the Medicaid expansion since the midterms," December 15, 2014
- ↑ NPR, "Meet The Republican Governors Who Don't Want To Repeal All Of Obamacare," January 23, 2017
- ↑ Advisory Board, "Where the states stand on Medicaid expansion," May 19, 2017
- ↑ United States Customs and Border Protection, "DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson Visits the Rio Grande Valley," December 2, 2014
- ↑ Utah Governor Gary Herbert, "Gov. Herbert discusses undocumented unaccompanied minors on U.S. border," accessed July 10, 2018
- ↑ The Business Journals, "Governors and jobs: How governors rank for job creation in their states," June 27, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "How state governors rank on their job-growth record," June 27, 2013
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jon Huntsman (R) |
Governor of Utah 2009-2021 |
Succeeded by Spencer Cox (R) |
| Preceded by ' |
Lieutenant Governor of Utah 2005-2009 |
Succeeded by Gregory Bell (R) |
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State of Utah Salt Lake City (capital) |
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