Adams says he'll run for Senate president again if he defeats 2 primary opponents

SALT LAKE CITY — After nearly eight years in one of the top positions in state government, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams confirmed he will seek to stay in that post for at least two more years.

That is, if he's able to overcome challenges from two fellow Republicans in this month's primary election.

Stephanie Hollist, a Fruit Heights attorney, and Braden Hess, an attorney and realtor from Kaysville, both say it's time for someone new to represent Senate District 7 in the Utah Legislature.

The race is the first competitive election Adams has faced in years, after he ran entirely unopposed in 2018 and faced a third-party candidate in the general election four years ago.

Why they're running

Adams is already the longest-serving Senate president in recent state history and told KSL he plans to seek the role again if he is reelected. The Senate president is elected by his GOP colleagues in the chamber for two-year terms. Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature.

Adams is quick to tout Utah's impressive economic record and years of consecutive tax cuts during his tenure. But, he says, that work is not finished, and he hopes to continue reducing taxes on income and Social Security benefits.

"It's an honor to have served," he said of his role in leadership. "I work very hard to try to make sure Utah is the best state in the nation, not only for Davis and Weber counties and Morgan County, but the entire state of Utah."

His opponents, however, question how much of Adams' focus is on representing Utahns in the district. That argument has crystallized in recent months around a controversial data center proposal in Box Elder County that Adams played a key role in moving forward as chairman of Utah's Military Installation Development Authority, or MIDA. He has since softened his support amid strong public outcry.

"The Republican voters across District 7 know it's time for a change," Hollist said. "The reaction to the Box Elder data center was just the latest example of a deeper frustration my community shares. Too many people feel their government no longer represents them and that decisions are being made by powerful insiders who don't have to listen, so that's why I chose to run."

She said voters don't feel heard and that the data center project is "indicative of Adams looking out for personal or special interests rather than the interests of my community."

Hess said he supports repealing MIDA altogether and is opposed to any tax incentives or subsidies for businesses. But if the project can "stand on its own two feet," he doesn't object to it moving forward.

Overall, Hess said he got into the race over concerns about the judiciary and Proposition 4, the anti-gerrymandering initiative passed in 2018 that Republicans unsuccessfully sought to place on the ballot this year.

"I want to thoroughly vet judges, slash and reform taxes, and restore housing affordability by unleashing the free market from Day 1," Hess said, noting that he doesn't "hate the incumbent" but believes voters in the district are ready for "new leadership."

But, Adams said he believes the state is heading in the right direction and wants to continue his role in guiding it.

"I believe that America is the hope of the world," he said. "And everywhere I go in America right now, they're turning to Utah. … Whether it's critical mineral or energy or tax policy or economic development, we are where the rest of the nation and the world is looking, and I want to continue that."

Does seniority matter?

Adams first served in the Utah House of Representatives from 2002-2006 before being appointed to the Senate in 2009. He was elected Senate president in 2018. Neither of his GOP primary opponents have held office before.

"If voters decide that they value a leadership position over turnover, that's fully their prerogative," Hess said. "My goal in running this race was to provide an alternative because I don't believe our legislators should serve with no end date in mind."

While it's true that Adams holds a leadership position, Hess added, he believes the structure of the Legislature needs to change to prevent "a single leader" from being able to stop a bill's progress.

Hollist describes herself as a "traditional Republican" who believes in limited government and fiscal conservatism. She said party leaders or elected officials are more worried about having the Senate president represent her district, but normal voters she talks to care more about simply being represented.

"What we consistently see is that scale is tipped more so in favor of the other interests than the interests of my district," Hollist said, "and so what we're left with is basically hoping for the scraps."

So far this election cycle, Adams has been under fire from both ends of the political spectrum. A conservative super PAC with a history of targeting incumbent Republicans has spent $100,000 on texts, mailers and calls going after the president, and the Democrat-funded Indivisible Project launched an initiative last month sending anti-Adams postcards to thousands of voters.

Adams' campaign filed a complaint this week with the lieutenant governor's office, asking it to look into whether the postcards violate laws around financial disclosure.

Housing

Adams, a developer, has made homebuying a focus in recent years as the state's housing costs have soared, pricing out many who would like to buy a home. He sponsored a first-time homebuyer program in 2023 that gives first-time homebuyers up to $20,000 to spend on a down payment, closing costs, or buying down the interest rate on a newly constructed home.

The Senate president earlier this year touted the fact that nearly 3,000 households had taken advantage of the program, and lawmakers added another $10 million for it in this year's state budget.

But Hollist questions whether the program has truly been effective.

"Less than 4% of people in Davis or Morgan County had availed themselves of that funding, and it seems to indicate that that's not truly a solution for my district," Hollist said. "It raises all those questions that everyone in my district has about who truly is benefiting from the policies that are being passed."

Hess was also critical of Adams' approach to the issue. He said lawmakers should cut taxes more quickly and get out of the business of subsidies.

"(Adams') route of addressing housing unaffordability is creating new programs like the first-time homebuyer program," he said. "I strongly and sharply disagree with him on policy."

"I hear criticism from my competitors all the time, but I have yet to hear what their solution is. And this has been wildly successful," Adams said in response. "The reason we have high housing prices is because the supply has been constrained, and if you want to lower the price of housing, you've got to increase the supply."

What's next?

Ballots for the June 23 primary election have already been sent out. Whichever Republican is victorious in the Senate District 7 race will advance to the general election in November and face Garret Rushforth, a Democrat, and Jeffrey Ostler, a Constitution Party candidate.

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