Utah Civic GuideSalt Lake County · Utah · nonpartisan
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County

Sim Gill

District Attorney · Countywide

OfficeDistrict AttorneyDistrictCountywidePartyDemocraticTerm endsJan 2027Next electionNov 3, 2026 vs. Kent Davis (R)Raised$411,392Serving since2011

At a glance

  • District Attorney since 2011 (first elected 2010).
  • Narrowly won the June 2026 Democratic primary (51.8%–48.2%).
  • Largest 2026 county campaign in these files: $411K raised through Sep 10.
  • On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot vs. Kent Davis (R).
Open compare
Analytical assessment, not factMedium confidence
OverallLiberal
FiscalLean liberal
SocialLiberal
Very liberalModerateVery conservative

Liberal (reform-minded progressive prosecutor, openly partisan online).

Evidence behind this assessment
  • 2026 primary: narrowly beat a fellow Democrat (51.8–48.2) whose message was accountability/case-dismissal policy — i.e., challenged on management, not from the left or right clearly.
  • Boards: Community Partners Against Hate; John Jay College innovation institute; Karpel Foundation.
  • 2026 war chest $411K raised — largest county campaign.

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Full details below are grouped by area. Facts link to public sources; "[COMPUTED]" marks derived dates.

Votes & record
Date Item Source
Apr 2026 Advanced from the Democratic convention to a primary after a close delegate vote Salt Lake Tribune
Jun 23, 2026 Won the Democratic primary over Shawn Robinson (Assistant AG), 34,080 (51.80%) to 31,713 (48.20%) Official results; Salt Lake Tribune
May 2026 A $20M civil lawsuit was filed against him over a dismissed murder case (allegations; not adjudicated) Salt Lake Tribune
2025 Warned that federal immigration orders and Utah bills could force jail releases Salt Lake Tribune
Sep 17, 2024 The council denied, 2–4, a DA request to use $2,500 for an SJ Quinney College of Law contribution (24-2087) Legistar 24-2087
Campaign finance

Source: EasyVote (filer "Gill, Sim").

Report (submitted) Contributions (period) Expenditures (period) Ending balance
YE 2025 (01/30/26) $36,600.00 $5,980.31 $58,867.69
Mar 2026 interim (04/06/26) $90,770.00 n/a (OCR) $121,916.30
Pre-primary (06/16/26) $156,866.00 $191,274.05 $87,508.25
Sep 2026, period ending Sep 10 (09/15/26) $127,356.11 $47,357.91 $167,506.45
  • 2026 aggregate through Sep 10: $411,392.11 raised, $272,333.66 spent. This is the largest 2026 county campaign in this file set.
  • YE 2024 (01/31/25): $137 in contributions.
Disclosures

The 2026 COI disclosure (01/30/2026) lists:

  • employer: Salt Lake County (DA)
  • owned entities: none
  • outside income of $5,000 or more: none
  • stock holdings of $5,000 or more: none
  • boards: as listed above
  • real property: none

2026 PDF; 2025 PDF

Election history
Year Result Source
2026 primary Gill 34,080 (51.80%) vs Shawn Robinson 31,713 (48.20%) results
2022 Gill (D) 215,015 (57.86%) vs Danielle Ahn 156,624 2022 results
2018 Gill (D) 226,554 (55.68%) vs Nathan Evershed 180,315 2018 results
2010 First elected DA bio
Lobbying & ethics

No lobbyist ties or official ethics findings against him personally were found. County Auditor reports:

  • DA travel-expense audit (Jun 24, 2025): 3 findings, 7 recommendations. Jul 13, 2026 follow-up: 5 implemented, 1 in progress, 1 closed. (report; follow-up)
  • Performance audit of the DA–Salt Lake City interlocal agreement (Jun 11, 2026): reviewed the fee methodology ahead of the 2028 renewal. (report)
Office & term
Item Detail Source
Office District Attorney (countywide, partisan) DA bio
First elected November 2010 DA bio
Current term 2023–2026; it ends early January 2027 2026 Budget in Brief, p.3
Next election Nov 3, 2026: Sim Gill (D) vs Kent Davis (R) 2026 certification
Salary (2026) $230,865 2026 Adopted Budget, p.49
Office budget (2026) District Attorney $60,988,601 (312 FTE; +25 FTE) 2026 Adopted Budget
Stated affiliation
Item Detail Source
Party / ballot label Democratic 2026 certification
Self-description In 2026 primary coverage he emphasized homelessness, mental health, and criminal-justice reform. No self-applied ideological label appears on official pages. Salt Lake Tribune
Boards (2026 COI) Community Partners Against Hate (member); Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College (advisory board); CJAC (advisory board); Karpel Foundation (advisory board); University of Utah Marriott Library (advisory board) 2026 COI
Contact (official)
Known gaps

Gaps

  • Contributor detail for 2026: OCR covered pages 1–4 only. Pull from EasyVote.
  • Disposition of pending civil suits naming the DA. Source: Utah courts (Xchange) / DA civil division.
  • Bar or other ethics complaints are confidential unless public discipline results; none found.
About this office: Salt Lake County District Attorney

The county's full-time chief prosecutor and civil lawyer: decides which felonies to charge and prosecutes them across the county, and represents county government in legal matters.

Role
Countywide prosecutor and the county's lawyer; must be an active Utah State Bar member
Hours
Full-time
Pay
$230,865
Typical week
Leading Utah's largest prosecutor's office: charging policy, major cases, officer-involved incident reviews, victim services, county legal advice

Responsibilities and powers

  • Acts as public prosecutor for the county and as civil counsel, reviews county ordinances and suggests fixes to the Legislature or council (Utah Code 17-68-301, 17-68-303).
  • The office prosecutes "all felony criminal matters in Salt Lake County" and handles civil government legal work and litigation (SLCo District Attorney). It is also legal counsel to the Board of Equalization (SLCo Tax Administration).
  • Programs listed by the office include victim support, restorative justice, a Conviction Integrity Unit and reviews of officer-involved critical incidents (same page).
  • Qualifications: U.S. citizen, licensed Utah attorney and active Bar member in good standing, registered voter and one-year county resident (17-68-202).
  • Four-year partisan term; on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot.

A typical week [INFERRED from the office's divisions and programs]

  • Meeting division chiefs on charging decisions and high-profile cases, reviewing officer-involved incidents, press briefings, working with police chiefs (including Taylorsville's) and the courts, and advising the mayor and council.

Time commitment

  • Full-time [INFERRED].

Staff and budget

  • 313 FTEs (District Attorney 311 + DA-Tax Administration 2) in the 2026 council-recommended budget (SLCo FTE table); the office page describes "255 Deputy District Attorneys, Paralegals, Investigators, Legal Secretaries, and other support staff" (page undated). 2026 budget $65.6 million (Budget in Brief p.14).

Pay

  • $230,865 a year, about $75.2k in benefits (2025) (SLCo pay schedule p.48).

Sources

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Sources