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Kalle Benallie
ICT
Davina Smith, Navajo, said got all her jitters out the first time she ran for Utah representative in 2022. She’s even more determined for her second round of campaigning for the District 69 seat.
Her former opponent Phil Lyman announced in October 2023 that he won’t be seeking reelection and is instead running for governor. So far, two Republican candidates Lynn Jackson and Logan James Monson will be facing Smith if she advances in the Utah House of Representatives Democratic primary election on June 25.
“When I knew that I wasn’t going to win, I still felt that it wasn’t over for me,” she said.
This time around she plans on building a bigger team.
She said her first time campaigning was an eye opener and she learned a lot. She raised almost $200,000 for her campaign and tried to meet with all the communities in her district. District 69 consists of six counties and is about a third of the state of Utah. It was redistricted for Utah’s 2022 legislative elections.