Chris Harding, the Republican incumbent, is running for a second term as Salt Lake County auditor in the Nov. 3 general election. He faces Democrat Ali Cloward.

Harding has held the office since 2022. He says his priorities include restoring independence to the auditor's office, increasing audit effectiveness and re-establishing a functioning audit committee with the County Council.

The information below is drawn from Harding's campaign website and BallotReady profile and reflects his own claims and positions unless otherwise noted.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Office sought: Salt Lake County Auditor
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, University of Utah (2006); MBA, Weber State University (2008)
  • Certifications (claimed by the candidate): Certified Public Accountant since May 4, 2009, licensed by the Utah Department of Commerce; Certified Fraud Examiner since May 6, 2011, credentialed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; Certified Internal Auditor since Jan. 15, 2012, credentialed by The Institute of Internal Auditors

Experience and public service

Harding has spent most of his career in auditing and federal oversight roles, according to his BallotReady profile.

He worked as a senior auditor at Pritchett, Siler & Hardy (2006–2007) and Jensen & Keddington (2007–2008). He then served as a senior auditor at the Defense Contract Audit Agency from 2008 to 2015. He also worked as a cost/price analyst at the Defense Contract Management Agency from 2015 to 2017.

Harding served as director of internal review and compliance at Dugway Proving Ground for the U.S. Army from 2017 to 2019. He then worked as an auditor at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration from 2019 to 2022, when he took office as Salt Lake County auditor. He also operates Chris Harding CPA, where he has served as chief audit executive since 2018, and CPA Insight Solutions, listed as active since 2025.

On the issues

Government accountability and transparency: Harding says he is committed to "radical transparency." He says the office earned its first-ever passing peer review, conducted by the Association of Local Government Auditors in 2024, according to his campaign website. He also says he built a public Audit Recommendations Dashboard that tracks every audit recommendation to completion.

Audit independence: Harding says he wants to restore independence to the county auditor's office and collaborate with the County Council to re-establish a functioning audit committee, according to his campaign website.

Government operations and technology: Harding says he is committed to using technology and digital tools to streamline audits, improve efficiency and enhance taxpayer accessibility, according to his campaign website.

Staffing: Harding says he wants to recruit, develop and retain high-caliber professionals as the office expands.

Harding and Cloward will appear on the ballot for the four-year countywide seat.