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SALT LAKE CITY — Former West Valley City Councilman Corey Rushton, current West Valley City Councilman Jake Fitisemanu and Kearns Mayor Kelly Bush have announced their plans to seek the appointment to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, who announced her retirement on Wednesday.
So far eight candidates have announced ambitions to fill Mayne's seat, after Utah Rep. Karen Kwan, D-Murray, announced her candidacy earlier Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, the candidate list also includes Brett Garner, Jonathan Lopez, Jay Blain and Charles Henderson.
"Sen. Mayne's shoes are impossible to fill, but I hope we can all strive to continue her legacy, to work together to build the strong, healthy communities we all deserve," Rushton said in a statement Thursday. "That's why I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Senate District 12. As your senator, I would settle for nothing less than full and fair representation for our west side community. My roots in West Valley run deep. ... I will always remember where I come from and put the interests of our west side communities first."
Mayne, the Senate minority whip, will resign Jan. 16, following her cancer diagnosis last year.
Party delegates within the district will vote in a special election to recommend a replacement. That recommendation will then be sent to Gov. Spencer Cox, who officially has the power to appoint someone to fill the seat, according to Utah law.
The Utah Democratic Party announced the special election will take place on Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Candidates have until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 to file.
Rushton touted his history as a sixth-generation resident of West Valley City, Hunter High graduate and former member of the West Valley City Council, where he was elected as mayor pro tem. Rushton now serves as the chairman of the board of the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District and trustee at Granger-Hunter Improvement District.
"It's no exaggeration to say that (Sen. Mayne) advanced the interests of Utah Democrats more than any elected figure in recent memory," Rushton said. "I am deeply grateful to Sen. Mayne for her many years of hard work and dedication, and I'm proud to be represented by a model public servant like her. I am praying for her full recovery."
The 2023 general session of the Utah Legislature begins Jan. 17.
