Democratic candidate in the race for Utah House District 59 Julie Monahan released a statement Wednesday evening conceding to the clear victory of incumbent Mike Kohler.“While this isn’t the outcome I had hoped for, I’m proud of our campaign. I want to congratulate Representative Kohler on his win,” she said.The race between Monahan and incumbent Republican Kohler at first showed Monahan in the lead in Summit County, but subsequently falling behind as votes from Wasatch County were posted. The still-early results as of Wednesday night overall showed Monahan with 5,634 votes at 40.79% and Kohler with 8,178 votes at 59.21%. While more votes are still being counted and reported, Monahan said it was clear enough to concede based on Wasatch County numbers, where she only received 32.91% of the votes at 3,509. Summit County numbers as of Wednesday night showed Monahan winning with 67.46%, or 2,125 votes, to Kohler’s 32.54% or 1,025 votes.“There’s definitely more votes in Summit County than that, so that will help me, but it won’t be enough to counteract the other county, so I’m calling it done. ‘It’s a wrap,'” Monahan said.Kohler, a longtime Midway resident who’s held office in local government, ran on his usual platform for protecting property rights, keeping taxes low and maintaining the rural lifestyle, and highlighted his record in advocating for policies that benefit rural communities in the district.Monahan’s platform focused on local communities, smart government and responsible growth. Her campaign also emphasized her commitment to conservation, especially focused on supporting legislation that would benefit the Great Salt Lake. Her vision for the district balanced economic growth with the preservation of its natural beauty.She said, though disappointed, the outcome was unsurprising given the demographic of District 59, which covers rural parts of Wasatch and Summit counties as well as Heber City, Midway and historic Park City.“I encourage each of you to stay engaged and hold our leaders accountable. Our democracy thrives when we are involved and insist on good governance,” Monahan said.This was the first public office Monahan ran for following her 30-plus-year career with IBM. As of now, she said she is unsure whether she will run again in the future.“That’s something I haven’t yet considered. Normally, that is the path, you usually have to run a few times,” she said. “But, we’ll see.”Kohler said in a previous interview that if reelected, he was excited to continue work on numerous projects like wrapping up the Heber Valley bypass plans, work to bring property taxes down, start preparations for the Winter Olympics’ return in 2034 and engage in conversations around cell phones and A.I. in education settings.Kohler was unavailable for comment at time of publication.The post Democratic candidate concedes race against State Rep. Mike Kohler for Utah House District 59 appeared first on Park Record.