Tanner Ainge
Tanner Ainge | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Utah County Commission | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Greg Graves |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 15, 1983 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Heidi Ainge |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent | Danny Ainge |
| Education | Juris Doctor, Northwestern University School of Law; Bachelor of Arts, International Studies, Brigham Young University |
| Website | Utah County Commission |
Tanner Ainge (born December 15, 1983) is a Utah County Commissioner, businessman, and lawyer.[1] He ran an unsuccessful primary race for the U.S. House 3rd Congressional District of Utah against former Provo mayor John Curtis in 2017,[2] but he won the Utah County Commissioner election the following year. He was sworn into office in January 2019.[3]
Personal life and early career
Ainge was born December 15, 1983, to Michelle and Danny Ainge, a professional basketball and baseball player.[4]
He attended Brigham Young University where he earned a B.A. in International Studies, and later a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law.[5] He is currently licensed with the Utah State Bar Association.[1]
Prior to his political career, Ainge worked in private equity and law with national firms HGGC and Kirkland & Ellis and studied Mandarin while living in China.[6]
Ainge was a volunteer for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign for one year.[7]
Ainge and his wife, Heidi, have five children, one of whom was born in Beijing. Their children attend Chinese immersion schools.[6]
Political career
In 2017 a special election was held in the 3rd Congressional District of Utah for the U.S. House of Representatives to replace Jason Chaffetz, who resigned on June 30, 2017.[8] Ainge received a quarter of the Republican primary votes, but placed third against Provo mayor John Curtis and Christopher Herrod.[9] It was suggested by Republican operative, Chuck Warren, and others on Twitter, that Ainge's congressional race could have been negatively influenced by his father, the general manager of the Boston Celtics, convincing Gordon Hayward to leave the Utah Jazz as a free agent and sign with the Celtics.[10][11]
In 2018, Utah commissioner Greg Graves was called to resign for sexual harassment allegations, but completed his term under tenuous circumstances.[12] In the race for Graves’ seat, Ainge beat fellow Republican Tom Sakievich in the primary election[13] and had no Democratic opposition in the general election. His main opponent was third-party candidate, Teri McCabe, whom he beat with 82% of the vote.[14] In light of the Graves controversies, Ainge said he would run a campaign focused on restoring ethics and transparency to the county commission.[3]
References
- ^ a b board, Daily Herald editorial. "Herald editorial: Ainge brings understanding and acumen to help bolster county's future". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Tanner Ainge loses primary election for Utah's U.S. House seat". Boston.com. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ a b Herald, Katie England Daily. "Several new faces sworn into Utah County government Monday". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Son of Celtics' Danny Ainge wins Utah County seat primary - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Herald, Katie England Daily. "Fresh face in Utah politics, Tanner Ainge hopes to focus on national debt, economic growth". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ a b Romboy, Dennis (2017-07-30). "Tanner Ainge throws himself into rough-and-tumble game". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Tanner Ainge plans to run for Graves' seat on Utah County Commission". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ David Wright. "Boston Celtics GM encourages son to run for Chaffetz seat". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Herald, Katie England Daily. "Herrod concedes 3rd Congressional District primary to John Curtis after more results released". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Gordon Hayward's Celtics deal may hurt Danny Ainge's son in Utah political race". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Ainge family in public tug-of-war over Hayward". ESPN.com. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Herald, Katie England Daily. "New Utah County Commissioner Tanner Ainge targets budget, ethics in first 100 days". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Son of former NBA star Ainge wins Utah County seat primary". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "Election results as of late Tuesday for Utah races, issues". DeseretNews.com. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2019-06-03.