Chris Harding, the Republican incumbent, is running for a second term as Salt Lake County auditor in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Ali Cloward. The auditor oversees audits of county operations affecting Sandy and other Salt Lake County communities.
Harding has held the office since 2022, according to BallotReady profile data. He says his priorities include restoring independence to the auditor's office, increasing audit effectiveness and reestablishing a functioning audit committee with the county council.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Salt Lake County Auditor
- Election: Nov. 3, 2026
- Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, University of Utah (2006); MBA, Weber State University (2008)
- Certifications, per the candidate's campaign website: Certified Public Accountant since 2009, licensed by the Utah Department of Commerce; Certified Fraud Examiner since 2011, credentialed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; Certified Internal Auditor since 2012, credentialed by The Institute of Internal Auditors
Experience and public service
Harding has held the Salt Lake County auditor seat since 2022, according to BallotReady profile data. Before taking office, he worked as an auditor at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration from 2019 to 2022.
He also held federal roles earlier in his career. He served as director of internal review and compliance at Dugway Proving Ground for the U.S. Army from 2017 to 2019 and as a cost/price analyst at the Defense Contract Management Agency from 2015 to 2017, according to BallotReady. He worked as a senior auditor at the Defense Contract Audit Agency from 2008 to 2015.
Harding worked in private-sector auditing early in his career, serving as a senior auditor at Jensen & Keddington (2007–2008) and at Pritchett, Siler, & Hardy (2006–2007), according to BallotReady. He has run his own firm, Chris Harding CPA, since 2018 and launched CPA Insight Solutions in 2025, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
Government accountability and transparency: Harding says on his campaign website he is committed to "radical transparency." He says the office earned its first-ever passing peer review, conducted by the Association of Local Government Auditors in 2024. He says he built a public audit recommendations dashboard that tracks every audit recommendation to completion.
Audit independence and oversight: Harding says he wants to restore independence to the county auditor's office and collaborate with the county council to reestablish a functioning audit committee, according to his campaign website. He says he is committed to acting as a watchdog to identify issues, improve operations and protect taxpayer resources, according to his campaign priorities page.
Technology and efficiency: Harding says he plans to leverage technology and digital tools to streamline audits, improve efficiency and enhance taxpayer accessibility, according to his campaign priorities page.
Staffing: Harding says he is committed to recruiting, developing and retaining high-caliber professionals as the office expands, according to his campaign website.
Candidate responses were drawn from Christopher Harding's campaign website and BallotReady profile data. The Sandy Herald did not conduct an interview for this profile.
