Summit County’s most expensive local election of 2026 may not be for county council, or any policy-setting position, but instead county clerk.
Clerks in Utah are administrative, albeit partisan, officials who run elections and hand out business licenses among other clerical functions.
In Summit County, Republican Suni Woolstenhulme faces Democrat and former county councilmember Malena Stevens.
Stevens is the incumbent. Democrats nominated her for the post after Eve Furse retired from the clerkship in April.
Now Woolstenhulme says she needs to raise $50,000 to run a competitive campaign. The Oakley businesswoman said she doesn’t have the name recognition Stevens does, particularly in the Park City area.
“In order to do that, you just need money,” she said. “You need money to get your name out there, whether it's through, you know, the flyers — mail flyers going into people's homes — those are exceptionally expensive.”
Just the fee to run for clerk was almost $900.
The latest required financial disclosures show Woolstenhulme had raised about $1,600 and Stevens $2,800 as of the June primary. They won’t be required to disclose their finances again until September.
Neither Woolstenhulme nor Stevens said how close they are to their fundraising goals.
Stevens said she’ll be fiscally responsible and, like local Republicans, spend funds on getting out the vote.
“I believe that we get to better decisions and better outcomes broadly in government when we have additional participation,” Stevens said. “As far as specific spending, that is something that is still evolving.”
Stevens also said she will not be counting votes come November. She plans to delegate that duty because she’s on the ballot.
Summit County Democratic Party Chair Anne Kirvan told KPCW she was shocked to hear Woolstenhulme’s budget goal. Furse raised and spent around $8,000 four years ago.
If Woolstenhulme does raise $50,000, that would make the 2026 clerk’s race one of the most expensive in recent Summit County history.
The only city- and county-level candidates who spent more than that over the past several years were running for Park City mayor. County council fundraising this year have ranged from $1,000 and $14,000 per candidate.
Money aside, Summit County GOP Chair Ari Ioannides said adding red to the solid-blue Summit County government depends on turnout.
“Anyone who's been watching the political landscape will realize that Democrats fired up. They don't like Trump, and they really are activated,” he said. “We need to make sure that we don't have apathy on the side of our Republican voters, and that people in the middle get out and vote.”
This year, Kirvan says the Democrats will execute the largest field plan in Summit County history.
That includes outreach for the candidates for county clerk and Utah House Districts 4 and 59, which cover all of Summit and Wasatch counties.
“Whether that's phone calling, texting or door-knocking, for all three of our candidates,” Kirvan said.
Ioannides said the local GOP has raised $40,000 to split between the three races.
His party generally fares better than Democrats in state races, but the GOP has a better shot in Summit County because of new legislation.
Republicans won a victory last year through House Bill 356, which forever reshapes county council elections.
Summit County is now divided into five districts, giving Republicans a chance to win two rural, eastside seats. Previously the county council was at large.
After the bill passed, Summit County Democrats launched the “Blue Slopes Society,” a monthly donor program.
Then-party chair Rory Swensen told KPCW it was to field local candidates for state office and prepare for more challenging Summit County Council contests.
The last Republicans to hold row offices in Summit County were Sheriff Dave Edmunds and Attorney David Brickey. Both left office at the end of 2014.
