The head of a prominent Park City real estate company has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2020 Utah governor’s race.
Summit Sotheby’s International Realty President and principal broker Thomas Wright declared his intentto gather signatures for Utah Governor Thursday, joining an already crowded field of Republican candidates. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman; current Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox; Salt Lake County Councilmember Aimee Winder Newton; and Provo businessman Jeff Burningham have all declared their candidacy as well. Democrat Zachary Moses has also announced.
Wright hadn’t responded to KPCW’s request for comment by the time of this report, but a statement from his campaign website says he’s jumping into the race because 2020 is a time to look ahead to the state’s future challenges and opportunities. Wright mentions air quality, education and economic opportunities for rural Utah as issues of interest.
Wright hasn’t held political office before, though he served as the Utah Republican Party chair from 2011 to 2013 and was also a vice chair of the Republican National Committee.
Former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes is expected to announce his candidacy next week, while outgoing Congressman Rob Bishop and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes have also expressed interest in running. The deadline for declaration of candidacy is March 19.
