John Dougall (politician)

John Dougall (born April 2, 1966) is an American politician from the state of Utah who has been serving as the Utah State Auditor since 2013.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a Utah State Representative from 2003 to 2013. Dougall assumed office during the 55th legislative session, replacing David Litvack.[2] Dougall has received bipartisan praise for his accomplishments as state auditor.[3]

John Dougall
Auditor of Utah
Assumed office
January 7, 2013
GovernorGary Herbert
Spencer Cox
Preceded byAuston Johnson
Member of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 27th district
In office
January 2003 – January 2013
Preceded byDavid Litvack
Succeeded byMike Kennedy
Personal details
Born (1966-04-02) April 2, 1966
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Sandy
Children3
EducationBrigham Young University (BS, MS, MBA)

Early life and education

Dougall was born in Hollywood and raised in Portland, Oregon.[3] He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, and he earned his Master of Science in electrical engineering from BYU the following year.[3][4] He earned his MBA from BYU in 2000.[4]

Dougall has worked at various technology companies in Silicon Valley.[4][3]

Political career

Dougall was first elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2002, winning against a crowded field of Republican Party primary opponents.[3] During his 10-year tenure in the House, he sponsored various bills related to transportation, government transparency, and tax reform, including tax cuts in 2006 under governor Jon Huntsman.[3][5] He also sponsored the controversial[6] HB477, which would have amended the Government Records Access and Management Act to increase restrictions on public access to government documents. The bill was signed into law in March 2011 by governor Gary Herbert, but it was repealed two weeks later after public backlash and harsh criticism from The Salt Lake Tribune.[6][7] Despite this, Dougall has generally been regarded as an advocate for transparency in the Utah state government.[3]

Dougall was elected Utah State Auditor in 2012, defeating fellow Republican incumbent Auston Johnson.[8] As state auditor, Dougall has led audits that have revealed mismanagement and unethical or illegal behavior at various levels of government in Utah,[9][10] and some of his investigations have targeted members of his own party.[3] For these actions, he has earned bipartisan praise as state auditor.[3]

Dougall briefly considered challenging Mitt Romney in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2018, but ultimately decided against it.[3]

In 2020, it was announced that Dougall would be running for Lieutenant Governor of Utah as Aimee Winder Newton's running mate.[11]

References
  1. Catanese, David (February 14, 2018). "Utah Senate Race: State Auditor John Dougall May Challenge Mitt Romney". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=113608
  3. Wood, Benjamin (May 29, 2019). "Utah's state auditor John Dougall has rocked many boats, but he has also gained bipartisan praise". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  4. "Biography John Dougall, Utah State Auditor" (PDF). Office of the Utah State Auditor. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. Gehrke, Robert (October 2, 2011). "Huntsman's legacy in Utah: tax reform". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  6. "Editorial: Is Herbert for secrecy or accountability?". The Salt Lake Tribune archives. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. Gehrke, Robert; Davidson, Lee (March 26, 2011). "Utah lawmakers repeal HB477". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  8. Davidson, Lee (August 12, 2012). "New state auditor won't be a CPA — is it a problem?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  9. Davidson, Lee (January 20, 2017). "Audit rips Utah League of Cities and Towns, calls for criminal probe, recovery of public funds". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  10. Gorrell, Mike (January 19, 2017). "Audit says former fire authority leaders misused funds; criminal probes recommended". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  11. Wood, Benjamin (March 24, 2020). "Aimee Winder Newton picks Utah Auditor John Dougall as her running mate in the governor's race". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
Utah House of Representatives
Preceded by
David Litvack		 Member of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 27th district
2003–2013		 Succeeded by
Mike Kennedy
Political offices
Preceded by
Auston Johnson		 Auditor of Utah
2013–present		 Incumbent
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