Chris Harding, the Republican incumbent, is running for a second term as Salt Lake County auditor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Ali Cloward.

The county auditor oversees financial accountability for Salt Lake County government, which provides services to Cottonwood Heights and Holladay residents and spends their tax dollars. Harding has held the office since 2022. He says his priorities include restoring independence to the auditor's office, expanding transparency and leveraging technology to improve how the office serves taxpayers.

The following profile is based on Harding's campaign website, public records and his responses to candidate questionnaires. Positions and claims are attributed to the candidate unless otherwise noted.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Office sought: Salt Lake County Auditor
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, University of Utah (2006); master of business administration, Weber State University (2008)
  • Certifications (claimed by the candidate): Certified Public Accountant since May 2009, licensed by the Utah Department of Commerce; Certified Fraud Examiner since May 2011, credentialed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; Certified Internal Auditor since January 2012, credentialed by the Institute of Internal Auditors

Experience and public service

Harding has spent most of his career in auditing and financial oversight, according to BallotReady profile data and his campaign website.

He began as a senior collections representative at Discover Financial Services from 2002 to 2006. He then worked as a senior auditor at Pritchett, Siler & Hardy (2006–2007) and Jensen & Keddington (2007–2008).

Harding spent seven years as a senior auditor at the Defense Contract Audit Agency (2008–2015), followed by two years as a cost/price analyst at the Defense Contract Management Agency (2015–2017). He served as director of internal review and compliance at Dugway Proving Ground for the U.S. Army (2017–2019).

Before winning the county auditor seat, Harding worked as an auditor at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (2019–2022). He also operates Chris Harding CPA, where he has served as chief audit executive since 2018, and CPA Insight Solutions, listed as active since 2025.

On the issues

Government transparency: Harding says he is committed to what he calls "radical transparency." He says the office earned its first-ever passing peer review, conducted by the Association of Local Government Auditors in 2024. He says he built a public Audit Recommendations Dashboard that tracks every audit recommendation to completion.

Office independence: Harding says he wants to restore independence to the county auditor's office, according to his campaign vision page. His campaign materials do not detail what specific independence the office has lost or what steps he would take.

Audit oversight: Harding says he plans to collaborate with the Salt Lake County Council to re-establish a functioning audit committee. He also says he aims to increase audit effectiveness and efficiency, though his campaign materials do not specify benchmarks or timelines.

Technology and operations: Harding says he is committed to using digital tools to streamline audits, improve efficiency and enhance taxpayer accessibility, according to his campaign priorities page.

Staffing: Harding says he is focused on recruiting, developing and retaining what he describes as high-caliber professionals as the office expands.

The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.