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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Republican candidate for lieutenant governor has tested positive for COVID-19.
Utah Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork, confirmed the diagnosis on Twitter just one day after revealing she was a “presumed positive” case for the coronavirus in a public statement.
“No big surprise, my COVID test came back positive,” tweeted Henderson, who is the running mate of current Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. “Stay safe out there, everyone. Wear your masks to protect others — by the time you have symptoms, you’ve already been contagious for a couple of days and could have unknowingly infected other people.”
No big surprise, my COVID test came back positive. Stay safe out there, everyone. Wear your masks to protect others—by the time you have symptoms you’ve already been contagious for a couple of days and could have unknowingly infected other people. https://t.co/Z42sXJqBnr
— Deidre Henderson (@DeidreHenderson) August 8, 2020
Henderson said Friday that she was considered a presumed positive after an immediate family member tested positive for COVID-19. Her Senate spokeswoman Aundrea Peterson said the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor was “taking time to care for her family” and not available for interviews.
The Associated Press declared Cox the winner of Utah’s Republican primary for governor on July 6 after the gubernatorial candidate held a consistent lead of around 7,000 to 9,000 votes over a field that included former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Cox later said he does not believe he was exposed to the virus. The team won’t begin campaigning until after Labor Day, according to campaign manager Austin Cox.
