LOGAN – Local lawyer Chris Daines has joined the race to become interim county attorney for Cache County.
“The position of county attorney is not what we thought it was,” Daines explains in his candidacy announcement of Feb. 10.
“The duties of the position changed …” he adds. “They are different and narrower now than they were before January of 2025.”
Daines is seeking the interim appointment by the Cache County Council to replace former attorney K. Taylor Sorensen through the end of 2026.
He will complete with local attorneys Dane Murray and J. Brett Chambers as well as other potential candidate for the recommendation of the Cache County Republicans on Saturday, Mar. 7 at Sky View High School in Smithfield.
Daines pledges to bring stability and experience to the county attorney’s office, ending a period of rapid turnover of office staff in recent years.
A graduate of Utah State University, Daines finished law school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During his more than 40-year legal career, Daines’ private practice has focused on civil litigation, including appellate work.
He has headed the local law firm of Daines, Thomas & Smith, LLP for the past 15 years.
“I reflexively believe in conserving taxpayer funds and promoting constitution order and the rule of law,” Daines emphasizes.
“As this campaign unfolds, I will elaborate on the current powers and duties of the county attorney,” he promises.
At their gathering on Mar. 7, the Central Committee of the Cache GOP will review the credentials of candidates for the post of interim county attorney and select up to three hopefuls whose names will be forwarded to the Cache County Council.
The members of that panel will then select an interim county attorney from that field of recommended candidates who will fill out the unexpired portion of Sorensen’s term of office through December of 2026.
Cache County voters will pick a permanent county attorney during the midterm election balloting in November of 2026.
During the filing period for candidates in the upcoming 2026 election that closed Jan. 8, Chambers, Daines and Murray all signaled their intent to run in that countywide balloting.