Kent Davis seeks Salt Lake County attorney post Nov. 3

Kent Davis, a Republican, is running for Salt Lake County attorney in the Nov. 3 general election. Democrat Sim Gill is also running for the seat, according to election records.

Asked why he is seeking the office, Davis said in the Draper Herald's candidate questionnaire: "I was asked to take on a problem I'm unusually well suited to solve, and I would have been ashamed to say no because I was too comfortable."

Candidate information

Current role: Davis said in our questionnaire that he is "Corporate Counsel and Director of Cybersecurity at Woodbury Corporation, a Salt Lake City commercial real estate firm."

Residence: Davis said in our questionnaire that he and his family "live in Cottonwood Heights."

Family: "My wife, Katie, is an attorney and leads an international conservation nonprofit, and we have two children," Davis said in our questionnaire.

Education: Davis said in our questionnaire: "Juris Doctor, University of Oregon School of Law, where I was Editor-in-Chief of the Oregon Review of International Law. Executive MBA, Quantic School of Business and Technology. Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Arizona. 2012 Pat Tillman Scholar."

Party: "Republican. But party has no place in a charging decision," Davis said in our questionnaire. "A prosecutor's job is to apply the same law the same way to everyone, regardless of who they are or how they vote …"

Experience and public service

Davis said in our questionnaire: "I was a Deputy District Attorney in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office from 2017 to 2021, where I prosecuted cases ranging from major crimes to domestic violence to special victims and murders."

He added: "Before that, I was a public defender with the Pima County Legal Defender, an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, and a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Stephen McNamee."

On his military service, Davis said: "I also served in the U.S. Army with two combat deployments to Iraq … I earned the Bronze Star on that second tour."

Davis has never held elected office. Asked about appointed roles, he said: "Appointed: member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct and of the Utah Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Regulatory Reform. I am also the outgoing chair of the Utah State Bar Cyberlaw Section."

On the issues

What sets him apart: Davis said in our questionnaire: "This race isn't about party. It's about whether the office works, and after 16 years under the same leadership, it's time for a fresh perspective." He cited a December 2025 legislative audit that he said "found the office's screeners made filing decisions without written standards, that 48% of a 50-case sample of declined felony cases lacked detailed reasoning … and that the office lacks adequate performance metrics."

Davis said: "I will put charging standards in writing, document decisions, and publish performance metrics … so voters can judge the results."

Data centers and development: Asked how he would advise county commissioners, Davis said in our questionnaire: "On data centers, a blanket ban invites costly litigation. I would support conditional use permits, independent water and power impact studies before approval, closed loop cooling instead of drawing on culinary water, noise and setback limits to protect canyon neighbors, and a guarantee that residents do not subsidize a facility's power."

He added: "Every agreement should carry enforceable performance terms, and the public should see the deal before it is signed."