Biography
Daniel Cottam is the Libertarian Party nominee for Utah's 2nd Congressional District. A bariatric surgeon who founded healthcare businesses, he has previously run as a Libertarian for governor in 2020, the Utah House in 2022 and Utah's 1st Congressional District in 2024. In his 2024 Ballotpedia survey he said he was running on balanced budgets and Medicare reform.[1][2]
Daniel Cottam was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and graduated from Cypress Creek High School.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1993 and an M.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1997.[1] Cottam's career experience includes work as a bariatric surgeon, a business owner and a consultant with Medtronic, which The Salt Lake Tribune also reports. In 2024 he said he practiced surgery in what was then the 1st District and had started four healthcare businesses.[1][2][3]
Cottam said in his 2024 survey that he had been registered as both a Republican and a Democrat before registering as a Libertarian at age 50.[2] He ran as the Libertarian candidate for Utah governor in 2020, receiving 3.5%, for Utah House District 20 in 2022, receiving 5.7%, and for U.S. House in Utah's 1st District in 2024, receiving 4.8%, losing each time.[1] He said in 2024 that he is married and has five children.[2]
- 1.Daniel Cottam · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Daniel Cottam — Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey (2024) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2024-10-01 Candidate's own words
- 3.Blake Moore faces Peter Crosby in 2026 Utah 2nd Congressional District race · The Salt Lake Tribune · 2026-10-12 News report
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
On the ballot
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