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PLEASANT GROVE — Republican delegates in Utah County elected Highland business consultant Al Jackson on Saturday to fill a vacancy in the state Senate.
Jackson beat out one current and two former state legislators to replace Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem in Senate District 14. Valentine resigned to head the state tax commission.
Jackson becomes the third African-American state senator in Utah. Terry Wiliams was the first, serving from 1983 to 1986. James Evans, the current state GOP chairman, served in 2003-04.
It took three rounds of voting for Jackson to reach more than 50 percent of the vote to best Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, and former House members Stephen Sandstrom and Ken Sumsion. The district includes parts of Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Highland and Alpine.
Jackson has a bachelor's degree in aviation business administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. He owns a consulting firm specializing in leadership training, business development and sales in aviation, transportation, national defense and homeland security.
He and his wife Juleen are the parents of five children.
Jackson's name will forwarded to the governor for approval.
