Suzanne Harrison Explained

Suzanne Harrison
Office:Member of the Salt Lake County Council
Term Start:January 2023
State House1:Utah
District1:32nd
Term Start1:January 1, 2019
Term End1:December 31, 2022
Predecessor1:LaVar Christensen
Successor1:Sahara Hayes
Birth Place:Provo, Utah, U.S.
Children:3
Party:Democratic
Education:Stanford University (BS)
University of Utah (MD)

Suzanne Harrison is an American politician and physician who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives for the 32nd district from 2019 to 2022. She was elected to the Salt Lake County Council in November 2022 and assumed office in January 2023.[1]

Early life and education

Harrison was born in Provo, Utah. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human biology from Stanford University in 1997 and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 2007. She completed a residency program in anesthesiology and critical care at Harvard Medical School.[2]

Career

Harrison works at Riverton Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center.[3] She first ran for the Utah House of Representatives in 2016, losing to Republican incumbent LaVar Christensen by only three votes.[4] Harrison ran against Republican Brad Bonham in 2018[5] and won with 56.3% of the vote.[6] In 2020, Harrison ran for her second term and won with 55.1% of the vote over Republican challenger Cindie Quintana.[7]

In 2022, after redistricting, Harrison ran for a seat on the Salt Lake County Council.[8] [9] She defeated incumbent Richard Snelgrove by 10 points.[10]

Political positions

Environment and energy policy

Harrison supports policies intended to limit pollution. She is a co-chair of the Bipartisan Clean-Air Caucus.[11]

Harrison opposed then-EPA Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler's policies of cutting regulations on clean air standards.[12] Harrison supported Governor Spencer Cox's proposal to spend $50 million on electric car infrastructure.[13]

Public lands

In 2021, Harrison criticized Senator Mike Lee's proposal to exempt Utah from the Antiquities Act, saying that "many of the places that need protection in our state could become even more vulnerable." She also criticizes Lee for "us(ing) his platform to make deceptive statements about public lands, including that monument designations do not make a place more beautiful or create community opportunities... clearly, they do."[14]

Redistricting

Rep. Harrison supports legislative districts to be drawn by an independent commission, rather than by the legislature.[15]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/11/21/democrats-erased-gops/ "Democrats erased the GOP’s supermajority on the S.L. County Council. Here’s what it means for the mayor and you," The Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 21, 2022
  2. Web site: Suzanne Harrison's Biography . 2022-03-24 . Vote Smart.
  3. Web site: Representative Suzanne Harrison VoteSuz.com Sandy, Draper . 2022-03-24 . Rep Suzanne Harrison . en.
  4. Web site: 2018-11-11 . Utah politician leaps from a razor-thin loss to a landslide win . 2022-03-24 . PBS NewsHour . en-us.
  5. Web site: Gehrke: Suzanne Harrison, who lost by three votes last time, is back in one of several Utah races to watch on election night . 2022-03-24 . The Salt Lake Tribune . en-US.
  6. Web site: Suzanne Harrison . 2022-03-24 . Ballotpedia . en.
  7. Web site: Suzanne Harrison . Ballotpedia . 13 March 2022.
  8. Web site: 2022 Campaign Announcement . VoteSuz.com . 13 March 2022.
  9. Web site: 2022-02-28 . Suzanne Harrison to run for Salt Lake County Council . 2022-03-24 . Utah Policy . en-US.
  10. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/11/14/dem-suzanne-harrison-declares/ "Dem Suzanne Harrison declares victory in Salt Lake County Council race," The Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 14, 2022
  11. Web site: Handy . Stephen . Harrison . Suzanne . Stephen Handy and Suzanne Harrison: During COVID-19, the fight for cleaner cars and cleaner air continues . Salt Lake Tribune . 13 March 2022.
  12. Web site: Handy . Stephen . Harrison . Suzanne . Stephen Handy and Suzanne Harrison: During COVID-19, the fight for cleaner cars and cleaner air continues . Salt Lake Tribune . 13 March 2022.
  13. Web site: Harrison . Suzanne . Ward . Ray . Electric vehicles solve transportation and pollution problems. Don’t make them harder to own . Deseret News . 13 March 2022.
  14. Web site: Harrison . Suzanne . Suzanne Harrison: Public lands pay dividends, and false narratives hurt Utahns the most . Salt Lake Tribune . 13 March 2022.
  15. Web site: Canham . Matt . Utah Democrats argue independent redistricting commission will create the only ‘legitimate maps’ . Salt Lake Tribune . 13 March 2022.