Donna McAleer easily defeated challenger Ryan C. Combe on Tuesday to win the Democratic Party primary for Utah’s 1st Congressional District seat.
With 89 percent of the precincts reporting at 10:30 p.m., McAleer had 3,357 votes compared to 1,574 votes for Combe.
As a result, McAleer will face Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, in November’s general election.
McAleer said Tuesday night she is pleased with her victory.
“We are thrilled and are really excited to be moving forward to focus on the general election and to focus on the issues that are important to Utahns, around strengthening education, protecting access to public lands, developing energy responsibly and growing our economy,” she said in a phone interview.
McAleer has said she’s running to foster collaboration and ease divisiveness between Democrat and Republican lawmakers.
In addition, McAleer supports legislation to help small businesses succeed, as well as a balanced federal budget and term limits for Congress.
McAleer also opposes efforts by Bishop and Republican state lawmakers to pass legislation to gain state control of what is now federal land in Utah.
McAleer also believes her varied background as an Army officer, business leader and head of the nonprofit People’s Health Clinic, based in Park City, gives her a unique perspective into military affairs, education, economic and environmental issues.
McAleer, of Park City, is a graduate of West Point and served in the Army as a platoon leader, company executive officer and deputy public affairs officer. She left the Army to attend the University of Virginia, where she received a master’s degree in business administration.
McAleer has worked as vice president of global logistics and support services for GenRad Inc., an electronic test-equipment firm.
In 2000, McAleer left the corporate world and moved to Park City to pursue a lifelong dream of training to represent the U.S. in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in the bobsled event. She finished fourth in the Olympic trials as a bobsled driver, missing the Olympic team by two spots.
Combe, who lives in South Ogden and is the director of marketing and member relations for Weber State University’s alumni association, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
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