Arthur wins Utah House District 41 seat covering Cottonwood Heights

John Arthur, a Democrat, won the Utah House District 41 race with 7,947 votes, or 67.7%, to Republican Darren Croft's 3,785 votes, or 32.3%, according to unofficial results from Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections. All reporting units have reported. Arthur, who held the seat by appointment since December 2025, won a full term by a margin of 4,162 votes.

What was at stake

House District 41 covers Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, most of Cottonwood Heights and portions of Holladay, Midvale and Murray. Arthur serves on the Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment and Political Subdivisions committees, according to the Utah House Democrats.

The key issues:

• Canyon transportation: Croft's campaign platform called for evaluating the first two phases of UDOT's Little Cottonwood Canyon plan before advancing the gondola proposal. Arthur's specific position on the gondola was not detailed in his available campaign materials.
• Water rates: Croft said on his platform that district residents pay 40% more for water than Salt Lake City residents and called for equalized rates or other remedies. Arthur's campaign listed support for first-time homebuyers but did not detail a water-rate position.
• Wildfire risk: Croft flagged Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons as high risk for catastrophic wildfire and called for removing barriers to mitigation work.

The winner will vote on state budgets, property taxes, zoning rules and canyon access policies that directly affect Cottonwood Heights and Holladay residents.

A little history

Arthur was appointed to the District 41 seat on Dec. 7, 2025, replacing Gay Lynn Bennion, who left the Legislature after being elected mayor of Cottonwood Heights, according to Utah Policy. He was sworn in Dec. 8, 2025. Before entering office, Arthur was the 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year and a 2021 National Teacher of the Year finalist. He also works as an adjunct professor at Westminster University's Graduate School of Education.

Croft, a Republican, listed on his campaign site that he is married to BihShya for 37 years and has five children and 15 grandchildren.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the county canvass is complete. The county canvass period runs Nov. 10–17, according to Utah election deadlines. The 2027 Utah legislative session begins Jan. 19, 2027, according to the Legislature's session calendar.

Election results: Utah House of Representatives - District 41 (Utah General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 9:05 p.m. MST. Reporting: 1 of 1. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.