Derek Brown. From youtube.com
SALT LAKE CITY — Late last week the news came out that Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes would not be seeking re-election in 2024.
He will serve out his term until the end of next year, amid all the headlines about his previous friendship with Tim Ballard, the disgraced founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad.
One individual who is the first to throw his hat in the ring to run as a candidate for Utah Attorney General, is former chair of the Utah Republican Party, Derek Brown.
He was a guest on KVNU’s For the People program this past week and said the office should not be an appointed position.
“It’s not one that I really think is a good policy. I like the idea of accountability, and I think that when the public at large has a chance to vote for an elected official, that’s the best accountability measure. So, you just alluded to that because that was one of those things that has come up pretty regularly. I feel pretty strongly about the fact that if I’m elected, I’m accountable to the people of Utah.”
He said that is why a direct election by Utah citizens makes a lot of sense. He said a lot of people don’t know what the office of Utah Attorney General involves.
“I mean, they hear some of the bigger criminal issues that are prosecuted, but it is 500-plus people, I think 526 people currently.”
Brown said, “these are amazing people, there are attorneys and staff members who support them, and investigators, and they do great work. And they are the largest law firm in the state of Utah, and they’re the law firm for the state of Utah right? I mean, that’s really what they do.”
Brown said he’s an attorney and he has quite a few clients and a lot of companies that hire him, but the law firm for the state has just one client.
You can find out more about his campaign at DerekForUtah.com.