There will not be a rematch of one of the closest Utah House races in recent memory this year.
Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, has filed to run for the Utah Senate seat currently held by Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. Stephenson announced he would not be running for another term.
Christensen beat Democrat Suzanne Harrison by the narrowest of margins in 2016, just 5 votes. Harrison appeared to have defeated Christensen on election day, but late-arriving ballots gave Christensen the win.
Christensen was the architect of Amendment 3, the 2004 constitutional amendment which banned same-sex marriage in Utah. That ban was thrown out in 2014 when the Supreme Court struck down bans on same-sex unions.
Christensen served six terms in the House, four of them consecutively. He was the GOP nominee for Congress against Rep. Jim Matheson in 2006.
Christensen joins an already crowded race for Stephenson’s Senate seat. Two other Republicans, Rep. Dan McCay, and Delania Tonks, along with Democrat Christian Burridge have already filed.
Christensen did not return a phone call seeking comment.
