Stuart Adams

Stuart Adams
Stuart Adams
	Adams in 2022
President of the Utah Senate
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 28, 2019
Preceded by	Wayne L. Niederhauser
Member of the Utah Senate
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; September 16, 2009
Preceded by	Greg Bell
Constituency	22nd district (2009–2023); 7th district (2023–present)
Member of the Utah House of Representatives; from the 16th district
	In office; June 19, 2002 – December 31, 2006
Preceded by	Kevin Garn
Succeeded by	Kevin Garn
Personal details
Born	1954 or 1955 (age 71–72)
Party	Republican
Education	University of Utah (BS)

Jabez Stuart Adams (born 1954) is the Republican senator for the Utah State Senate's 7th District. Prior to redistricting, he represented the 22nd District. Adams was appointed to the Utah House of Representatives in 2002 and then to the Senate in 2009. In 2012, he was chosen to be the Senate majority whip.^[2] In 2018, he was chosen to be Senate president.

Personal life, education, and career

Adams graduated from Layton High in 1972^[3] and earned his BA from the University of Utah in business finance.^[4] He is a businessman by profession.^[4] Adams is married to his wife, Susan, and they have four children together.^[5] In 2002, he received the Business Person of the Year award from the Utah State Chamber of Commerce and the Builder of the Year award from the Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association.^[6] Adams previously served as the President of the Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association.^[6]

Political career

Adams is a former chairman of the Utah State Transportation Commission. He served as chairman of the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA).^[6] Prior to his legislative service, Adams served nine years on the Layton City Council.^[6]

Adams served for over four years in the Utah State House of Representatives (June 19, 2002 – December 31, 2006). He commenced his service in the Senate on September 16, 2009.^[7] He was appointed to both of these positions.^[4] In 2004, then-Representative Adams was named the 2004 Legislator of the Year by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, the 2004 Legislator of the Year by the International Code Council, and the 2004 Representative of the Year by the Davis County Republican Women.^[6]

In 2016, Adams served as the majority whip.^[4] He has also served on the following committees:^[8]

Executive Appropriations Committee
Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee
Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee
Senate Business and Labor Committee
Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee

Sexual Activity Law

In 2024, he suggested a law change that meant an eighteen-year-old, if enrolled as a high school student, who engaged in sexual activity with a thirteen-year-old could be charged with unlawful sexual activity rather than child rape (the former being a third-degree felony while the latter is first-degree).^[9] The law was adopted by Utah as part of SB 213.^[9] This allowed Adams's eighteen-year-old granddaughter to avoid serious punishment for raping a child. Adams denied that his family relationship was the reason he promoted the law change.^[10]

COVID response controversies

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, Adams supported legislation to stockpile the experimental medication hydroxychloroquine.^[11] Soon it emerged that Utah had purchased $800,000 worth of the drug, at vastly inflated prices, from a local pharmacy with personal connections to Adams.^[12]^[13]

In 2022, Adams, as the Utah Senate president, opened the 2022 general session of the 64th legislature in person, without a mask. Having contracted COVID-19 the week before, Adams said he had recovered before speaking to the Senate at the start of the session. It was later revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 twice that morning. Adams continued his legislative duties unmasked, conversing in close contact with fellow senators, staff, and dignitaries, only masking when meeting with members of the media.^[14]

2021 congressional redistricting

In 2018, an independent redistricting commission was formed to better represent the public's voice when it came to redrawing Utah's congressional maps. A bipartisan group was formed to recommend congressional, state senate, state house, and state school board district boundaries based on public feedback and a strong focus on representation of "communities of interest."^[15] On November 1, 2021, the commission delivered its 12 recommendations that were vetted through 16 public hearings across the state to the legislature. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave favorable reviews to the maps the council drew.^[16] The state legislature, under the leadership of Senate President Stuart, ignored the commission's recommendations and drew and approved their own maps. They divided Salt Lake County, the largest and most diverse county in the state, into the four congressional districts.^[17]

Elections

2022 Utah State Senate, general election District 7
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J.Stuart Adams	22,454	72.1
	United Utah	Kimberly Wagner	8,703	27.9

2018 Utah State Senate, general election District 22
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J.Stuart Adams	32,765	100
Total votes			N/a	100.0

2014 Utah State Senate, general election District 22
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Stuart Adams	16,605	73.3
Democratic	Kip Sayre	4,417	19.5
Libertarian	Brent Zimmerman	1,643	7.2

2010 Utah State Senate, general election District 22
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	J.Stuart Adams	16,638	70.09
Democratic	Charlie Parker	4,597	19.37
Constitution	David A. Hansen	2,028	8.54

^[18]

Legislation

2016 sponsored bills

Bill number	Bill title	Bill status
S.B. 80	Infrastructure Funding Amendments	Governor Signed 3/25/2016
S.B. 115	Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan Act	Governor Signed 3/29/2016
S.B. 130	Tattoo Removal	Governor Signed 3/29/2016
S.B. 154	Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations	Governor Signed 3/29/2016
S.B. 161	Highway Signage Amendments	Governor Signed 3/25/2016
S.B. 203	Immunity Amendments	Governor Signed 3/22/2016
S.B. 222	Professional Licensing Amendments	Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 231	Waste Management Amendments	Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 246	Funding for Infrastructure Revisions	Governor Signed 3/22/2016
S.B. 251	Water Infrastructure Funding Amendments	Governor Signed 3/25/2016
S.C.R. 12	Concurrent Resolution Recognizing the Importance of Utah Sport and Olympic Legacy Efforts	Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.C.R. 19	Concurrent Resolution on Education	Governor Signed 3/22/2016

^[19]

2017 sponsored bills

Bill number	Bill title	Bill status
S.B. 79	Waste Management Amendments	Governor Signed 3/24/2017
S.B. 167	Bail Amendments	Governor Signed 3/15/2017
S.B. 179	Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week	Governor Signed 3/14/2017
S.B. 196	Health Education Amendments	Governor Signed 3/20/2017
S.B. 197	Refinery Sales and Use Tax Exemption Amendments	Governor Signed 3/25/2017
S.B. 202	Parent-time Amendments	Governor Signed 3/17/2017
S.B. 228	Water Infrastructure Revisions	Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/9/2017
S.B. 262	Upstart Amendments	Governor Signed 3/28/2017
S.B. 270	Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act	Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/9/2017
S.B. 273	Energy Development Amendments	Governor Signed 3/28/2017
S.J.R. 13	Joint Resolution Supporting Creation of Citizens Equity Funds	Governor Signed 3/16/2017

^[20]

References

^ "'I just want to be positive,' incoming Utah Senate President Stuart Adams says". January 27, 2019.
^ Romero, McKenzie. "Utah GOP chooses legislative leadership". Deseret News, November 8, 2012. Retrieved on May 13, 2013.
^ "About Stuart". J. Stuart Adams. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Adams, J. Stuart". Salt Lake City: Utah State Senate. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
^ "J. Stuart Adams' Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Stuart Adams: Proven Results. Clear Choice". Retrieved April 15, 2014.
^ Utah.gov. "Governor Appoints Stuart Adams to Utah State Senate". September 16, 2009. Retrieved on May 13, 2013.
^ "District 22 Senator - Utah State Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Gehrke, Robert (August 2, 2025). "Utah's Senate president prompted law change that helped a teen charged with child rape". The Salt Lake Tribune. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
^ Ferguson, Malcolm (August 6, 2025). "GOP Lawmaker Changes Law to Help Relative Facing Child Rape Charges". The New Republic accessed via Yahoo News. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
^ Gifford, Bill (December 29, 2020). "Red State Rebellion". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ McKellar, Katie (April 23, 2020). "Utah bought $800K in controversial drugs weeks ago but health officials didn't know". Deseret News. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ Rodgers, Bethany (April 13, 2020). "Pharmacist who's amassed malaria drugs has ear of Utah leaders about COVID-19 treatment". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ "Senate President Stuart Adams tested positive for COVID twice Tuesday before publicly announcing he was negative". sltrib.com/. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
^ "UIRC 2021: About the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission". Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
^ "Comment on the Utah Legislature's Proposed Maps". gerrymander.princeton.edu. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
^ McKellar, Katie (November 10, 2021). "Utah redistricting: Congressional map splitting Salt Lake County 4 ways heads to Gov. Spencer Cox". Deseret News. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
^ "Stuart Adams - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
^ "2016 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
^ "2017 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2017.

External links

Utah State Legislature – Senator Stuart Adams Official website
Campaign Website – Senator Stuart Adams (UT) Personal website

Political offices

Preceded by

Wayne L. Niederhauser

President of the Utah Senate
2019–present

Incumbent

[1] "'I just want to be positive,' incoming Utah Senate President Stuart Adams says". January 27, 2019.

[2] Romero, McKenzie. "Utah GOP chooses legislative leadership". Deseret News, November 8, 2012. Retrieved on May 13, 2013.

[3] "About Stuart". J. Stuart Adams. Retrieved April 25, 2022.

[senate-4] "Adams, J. Stuart". Salt Lake City: Utah State Senate. Retrieved April 15, 2014.

[project-5] "J. Stuart Adams' Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 15, 2014.

[personal-6] "Stuart Adams: Proven Results. Clear Choice". Retrieved April 15, 2014.

[7] Utah.gov. "Governor Appoints Stuart Adams to Utah State Senate". September 16, 2009. Retrieved on May 13, 2013.

[8] "District 22 Senator - Utah State Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

[Gehrke-9] Gehrke, Robert (August 2, 2025). "Utah's Senate president prompted law change that helped a teen charged with child rape". The Salt Lake Tribune. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2025.

[10] Ferguson, Malcolm (August 6, 2025). "GOP Lawmaker Changes Law to Help Relative Facing Child Rape Charges". The New Republic accessed via Yahoo News. Retrieved August 6, 2025.

[11] Gifford, Bill (December 29, 2020). "Red State Rebellion". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[12] McKellar, Katie (April 23, 2020). "Utah bought $800K in controversial drugs weeks ago but health officials didn't know". Deseret News. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[13] Rodgers, Bethany (April 13, 2020). "Pharmacist who's amassed malaria drugs has ear of Utah leaders about COVID-19 treatment". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[14] "Senate President Stuart Adams tested positive for COVID twice Tuesday before publicly announcing he was negative". sltrib.com/. Retrieved January 19, 2012.

[15] "UIRC 2021: About the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission". Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. Retrieved January 22, 2022.

[16] "Comment on the Utah Legislature's Proposed Maps". gerrymander.princeton.edu. Retrieved January 22, 2022.

[17] McKellar, Katie (November 10, 2021). "Utah redistricting: Congressional map splitting Salt Lake County 4 ways heads to Gov. Spencer Cox". Deseret News. Retrieved January 22, 2022.

[18] "Stuart Adams - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

[19] "2016 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2016.

[20] "2017 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2017.

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v t e Statewide political officials of Utah
U.S. senators	Mike Lee John Curtis
State government	Spencer Cox, Governor Deidre Henderson, Lieutenant Governor Derek Brown, Attorney General Marlo Oaks, Treasurer Tina Cannon, Auditor
Senate	Stuart Adams, President Kirk Cullimore Jr., Majority Leader Luz Escamilla, Minority Leader
House	Mike Schultz, Speaker James Dunnigan, Speaker pro tempore Casey Snider, Majority Leader Angela Romero, Minority Leader
Supreme Court (appointed)	Matthew B. Durrant, Chief Justice Paige Petersen Diana Hagen Jill Pohlman John Nielsen 2 seats vacant, Justices

v t e Presidents of state senates
United States Senate: ▌JD Vance (R), ▌Chuck Grassley (R)
AL ▌Ainsworth (R), ▌Gudger (R) AK ▌Stevens (R) AZ ▌Petersen (R), ▌Shope (R) AR ▌Rutledge (R), ▌Hester (R) CA ▌Kounalakis (D), ▌Limón (D) CO ▌Coleman (D), ▌Kipp (D) CT ▌Bysiewicz (D), ▌Looney (D) DE ▌Gay (D), ▌Sokola (D) FL ▌Albritton (R), ▌Brodeur (R) GA ▌Jones (R), ▌Walker (R) HI ▌Kouchi (D) ID ▌Bedke (R), ▌Anthon (R) IL ▌Harmon (D), ▌Cunningham (D) IN ▌Beckwith (R), ▌Bray (R) IA ▌Sinclair (R), ▌Rozenboom (R) KS ▌Masterson (R) KY ▌Stivers (R), ▌Givens (R) LA ▌Henry (R), ▌Barrow (D) ME ▌Daughtry (D) MD ▌Ferguson (D), ▌Augustine (D) MA ▌Spilka (D), ▌Brownsberger (D) MI ▌Gilchrist (D), ▌Moss (D) MN ▌Champion (DFL), ▌Rest (DFL) MS ▌Hosemann (R), ▌Kirby (R) MO ▌Wasinger (R), ▌O'Laughlin (R) MT ▌Regier (R), ▌Bogner (R) NE ▌Kelly (R), ▌Arch (R)* NV ▌Anthony (R), ▌Dondero Loop (D) NH ▌Carson (R), ▌Abbas (R) NJ ▌Scutari (D), ▌Turner (D) NM ▌Morales (D), ▌Stewart (D) NY ▌Delgado (D), ▌Stewart-Cousins (D) NC ▌Hunt (D), ▌Berger (R) ND ▌Strinden (R), ▌Bekkedahl (R) OH ▌McColley (R), ▌Reineke (R) OK ▌Pinnell (R), ▌Paxton (R) OR ▌Wagner (D), ▌Manning (D) PA ▌Davis (D), ▌Ward (R) RI ▌Lawson (D), ▌Gallo (D) SC ▌Alexander (R) SD ▌Venhuizen (R), ▌Karr (R) TN ▌McNally (R), ▌Haile (R) TX ▌Patrick (R), ▌Perry (R) UT ▌Adams (R) VT ▌Rodgers (R), ▌Baruth (D) VA ▌Hashmi (D), ▌Lucas (D) WA ▌Heck (D), ▌Conway (D) WV ▌Smith (R), ▌Taylor (R) WI ▌Felzkowski (R), ▌Testin (R) WY ▌Biteman (R) Federal districts: DC ▌Mendelson (D), ▌Bonds (D) Territories:** AS ▌Fruean (I) GU ▌Blas (D)* MP ▌King-Nabors (R) PR ▌Rivera Schatz (NPP/R), ▌Ríos (NPP/D) VI ▌Potter (D)*
Italics indicate presidents pro tempore *Unicameral body

v t e Members of the Utah State Senate
66th State Legislature (2025–2026) President of the Senate J. Stuart Adams (R) Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore Jr. (R) Minority Leader Luz Escamilla (D)
▌Scott Sandall (R) ▌Chris H. Wilson (R) ▌John Johnson (R) ▌Cal Musselman (R) ▌Ann Millner (R) ▌Jerry Stevenson (R) ▌J. Stuart Adams (R) ▌Todd Weiler (R) ▌Jen Plumb (D) ▌Luz Escamilla (D) ▌Emily Buss (FWD) ▌Karen Kwan (D) ▌Nate Blouin (D) ▌Stephanie Pitcher (D) ▌Kathleen Riebe (D) ▌Wayne Harper (R) ▌Lincoln Fillmore (R) ▌Daniel McCay (R) ▌Kirk Cullimore Jr. (R) ▌Ronald Winterton (R) ▌Brady Brammer (R) ▌Heidi Balderree (R) ▌Keith Grover (R) ▌Keven Stratton (R) ▌Mike McKell (R) ▌David Hinkins (R) ▌Derrin Owens (R) ▌Evan Vickers (R) ▌Don Ipson (R)
▌Republican (22) ▌Democratic (6) ▌Forward (1) Utah State Legislature Utah House of Representatives Utah State Senate