Long-Serving Democrat Plans To Retire From Utah Legislature

One of the longest-serving Democratic members of the Utah Legislature has announced she will not seek reelection. The Salt Lake Tribune reports Rep. Patrice Arent plans to retire when her term expires Jan. 1, 2021. Arent joined the Utah House in 1996 and served until 2002 when she defeated the GOP Senate majority leader in a race that set a state spending record. She left the Senate four years later but returned to the House in 2010. The Millcreek representative disclosed last May she was being treated for cancer, but says health concerns did not motivate her retirement decision.