Spencer Cox increased his lead over Jon Huntsman slightly after the second round of election results were released on Wednesday, but there are still more than 111,000 ballots left to be counted statewide.
Cox’s margin over Huntsman expanded by about 600 votes after more than 21,000 votes were added to the overall tally. Cox has just under 37 percent support in the race while Huntsman sits with a little more than 34 percent.
Both Greg Hughes and Thomas Wright conceded the gubernatorial race on Wednesday.
Whatever happens, the final result could be a squeaker.
The large number of remaining ballots means Huntsman is still alive in his bid to overtake Cox for the GOP nomination. Nearly half of the remaining uncounted votes are in Salt Lake County. Huntsman currently has a 13 point lead over Cox there, leading by more than 16,000 votes.
Weber County has approximately 19,500 ballots left to count, while Davis County has more than 14,400 remaining. Huntsman has an overall lead in Weber County, while Cox is ahead in Davis.
Overall turnout for Republican voters looks to be nearly twice as large as the 2016 GOP gubernatorial primary between Gary Herbert and Jonathan Johnson.
1st Congressional District
In the 1st Congressional District, Blake Moore widened his lead over Bob Stevenson to 811 votes. Less than a percentage point separates the two Republicans as they seek the party’s nod to replace Rob Bishop in Congress.
In the Democratic primary in CD1, Darren Parry widened his lead slightly over Jamie Cheek on Wednesday. He’s now ahead by 908 votes.
4th Congressional District
The 4th District GOP race to face Ben McAdams was decided quickly on Tuesday night as former NFL player Burgess Owens raced to an early lead to win the nomination. State Rep. Kim Coleman and former radio personality Jay McFarland conceded defeat on Wednesday.
The Owens/McAdams contest is quickly becoming the marquee matchup in Utah, as national Republicans and Democrats are set to pour money into the state in an effort to win or keep control of the seat in Congress. The pro-Republican Congressional Leadership Fund issued a press release attacking McAdams within minutes of Owens winning the GOP primary. A press release critical of Owens from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee followed a few minutes later.
Attorney General
Sean Reyes maintained his lead over Utah County Attorney David Leavitt on Wednesday 54-45 percent.
Utah Legislature
Rep. Brad Last’s lead over challenger Willie Billings narrowed slightly to just over 400 votes after Wednesday’s tally. Last is the House chair of the legislature’s top budget committee.
Challenger Mike Peterson increased his lead over Logan Republican Rep. Val Potter in House District 3.
Rep. Keven Stratton’s lead over David Shallenberger in House District 48 shrunk a bit on Wednesday. Stratton is now leading that race by just 42 votes.
Sen. Lincoln Fillmore picked up 100 more votes to widen his lead over former State Rep. Rich Cunningham in Senate District 10.
Sen. Wayne Harper added a handful of votes to maintain his lead over Karen Hyatt in Senate District 10.
