Norm Thurston

Norman Thurston

Republican Party

Utah House of Representatives District 62

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

1

Predecessor

Colin Jack

Prior offices

Utah House of Representatives District 64

Successor: Jefferson Burton

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Compensation

Base salary

$293.55/legislative day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University, 1990

Graduate

Princeton University, 1993

Ph.D

Princeton University, 1995

Personal

Profession

Economist

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Norman Thurston (Republican Party) is a member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing District 62. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.

Thurston (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Utah House of Representatives to represent District 62. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Norman "Norm" Thurston earned a B.A. in Spanish and agricultural economics from Brigham Young University in 1990, an M.A. in economics from Princeton University in 1993, and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 1995. His career experience includes working as a health policy adviser for the State of Utah, the director of the office of healthcare statistics for the Utah Department of Health, and the executive director of the National Association of Health Data Organizations.

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Thurston was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Business and Labor Committee
• Government Operations Committee

2021-2022

Thurston was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business and Labor Committee
• Government Operations Committee, Vice chair

2019-2020

Thurston was assigned to the following committees:

• House Health and Human Services Committee
• House Revenue and Taxation Committee
• Administrative Rules Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Utah committee assignments, 2017
• Government Operations, Vice chair
• Health and Human Services

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Thurston served on the following committees:

Utah committee assignments, 2015
• Health and Human Services
• Political Subdivisions

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Incumbent Norman Thurston defeated Kevin Slater in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Norman Thurston (R)	65.2	7,389
		Kevin Slater (D)	34.8	3,943

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 11,332
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kevin Slater advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 62.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Norman Thurston advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 62.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Kevin Slater advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Kevin Slater (D)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Incumbent Norman Thurston advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on April 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Norman Thurston (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Thurston in this election.

2022

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Incumbent Norman Thurston defeated Daniel Friend in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Norman Thurston (R)	60.9	5,920
		Daniel Friend (D)	39.1	3,794

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,714
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Daniel Friend advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah House of Representatives District 62.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Norman Thurston advanced from the Republican primary for Utah House of Representatives District 62.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Daniel Friend advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on April 9, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Daniel Friend (D)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62

Incumbent Norman Thurston advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 62 on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Norman Thurston (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent Norman Thurston won election in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 64 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Norman Thurston (R)	100.0	11,536

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,536
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kathy Givens (United Utah Party)

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent Norman Thurston defeated Tabitha Pacheco in the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 64 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Norman Thurston (R)
		Tabitha Pacheco (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent Norman Thurston defeated Daniel Friend and Hal Miller in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 64 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Norman Thurston (R)	55.5	4,849
		Daniel Friend (D)	30.5	2,662
		Hal Miller (United Utah Party)	14.0	1,219

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Utah House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 17, 2016.

Incumbent Norm Thurston ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 64 general election.

Utah House of Representatives, District 64 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Norm Thurston Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Utah Secretary of State

Incumbent Norm Thurston ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 64 Republican primary.

Utah House of Representatives District 64, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Norm Thurston Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Utah House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 20, 2014. Scott Ellis Ferrin ran as a Democratic. Norm Thurston defeated William Snider, Ben Summerhalder and Karen Ellingson in the Republican convention. Jason Christensen ran as an Independent American candidate. Thurston defeated Ferrin and Christensen in the general election.

Utah House of Representatives District 64, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Norm Thurston	67.8%	2,635
	Democratic	Scott Ellis Ferrin	21.1%	819
	Independent American	Jason Christensen	11.1%	432
Total Votes				3,886

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Norman Thurston did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Norman Thurston did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Norman Thurston did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Thurston's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Your Freedom

• Excerpt: "I believe the most important issue in any government is freedom. Your government should first and foremost protect your ability to make decisions and enjoy the consequences of those decisions. That means the government should not be in the business of guaranteeing you a job, money, health care, a fancy car, or anything else for that matter."

Federalism

• Excerpt: "The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution clearly explains that powers not specifically delegated to the federal government are “reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people.” Unfortunately, the Progressive Movement in its various disguises has expanded the Congressional powers far beyond what the Framers intended. The abuse of the Commerce Clause and the ability to access essentially unlimited funding through deficit spending and the income tax have seriously eroded the rights of states and the people."

Economy

• Excerpt: "I believe in the power of incentives. If you tax productivity, productivity will decline. If you want economic growth and prosperity, you have to give individuals the freedom to pursue their ideals and reap the rewards of their efforts. Economic development, innovation, and growth are all accelerated when taxes are low, regulations are light, and government is minimized. This means keeping state government small so that the required tax burden on our citizens is also small. That might mean that some really popular programs have their funding cut or do not get funded at all. But in the long run, it will allow more people to become self-reliant and stay free from government dependence, reducing the need for those really popular programs."

Education

• Excerpt: "Number one on my list is to empower parents to fulfill their solemn responsibility to nurture their children and teach them the ideals and values they respect. Parents should decide which school, if any, is best for their child and be given the tools to make an informed decision."

Public Lands

• Excerpt: "Did I mention the need for funding for education? One of the reasons why Utah continues to struggle to find funding for our children is that so much of our natural wealth is locked up in federal lands where it cannot help pay for needs. I believe that Utah lands should be made available for the benefit of all our citizens, including our school children."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Norman Thurston campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah House of Representatives District 62	Won general	$10,794	$-8,353
2022	Utah House of Representatives District 62	Won general	$42,469	$-24,330
2020	Utah House of Representatives District 64	Won general	$13,948	N/A**
2018	Utah House of Representatives District 64	Won general	$32,702	N/A**
2016	Utah House of Representatives, District 64	Won	$21,228	N/A**
2014	Utah House of Representatives, District 64	Won	$10,994	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Utah

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Utah scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 17 to March 3. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Utah Cultural Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 18 to March 4. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Utah Cultural Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 19 to March 5. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Leap Forward Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the organization chose to evaluate. Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 27 to March 12. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 28 through March 14. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored based on their votes on economic issues. Alliance for a Better Utah Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the Alliance for a Better Utah supported. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Sierra Club Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 22 through March 8. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Sierra Club House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 23 through March 9. There was also a special session on September 20. Americans for Prosperity Utah Legislators are scored based on their votes on economic issues. GrassRoots Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." Utah Education Association House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Taxpayers Association Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 25 through March 10. GrassRoots: 2016 scorecard Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute: 2016 Legislative Index Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." National Federation of Independent Business in Utah Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Utah Education Association: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Legislative Ratings: 2016 Conservative Liberal Index - Senate and House Legislators are scored in the Conservative Liberal Index "to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal." Utah Sierra Club: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues. Utah Taxpayers Association: 2016 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].

In 2015, the Utah State Legislature was in session from January 26 through March 12. GrassRoots: 2015 scorecard Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers." Libertas Institute: 2015 Legislative Index Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise." Sutherland Institute: 2015 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills picked by the Sutherland Institute that promote conservative policy. Utah Charter Network: Senate and House 2015 Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to charter schools. Utah Education Association: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education. Utah Legislative Ratings: 2015 Conservative Liberal Index - Senate and House Legislators are scored in the Conservative Liberal Index "to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal." Utah Sierra Club: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues. Utah Taxpayers Association: 2015 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Colin Jack (R)	Utah House of Representatives District 62 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Utah House of Representatives District 64 2015-2023	Succeeded by Jefferson Burton (R)