Drew Howells

Drew Howells is the Democratic candidate for the Utah House of Representatives, District 39, in the November 3, 2026 general election, where the incumbent is Republican Ken Ivory.[1][2] A military veteran, he said in a Ballotpedia survey that he worked as a public affairs specialist and helped draft Utah's Proposition 2, the Utah Medical Cannabis Act.[3]

Drew Howells served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 2004 to 2013, according to Ballotpedia.[1] He graduated from Trabuco Hills High School and received a military citation from the Defense Information School in 2006.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he served for more than a decade in the U.S. Air Force and the Utah Army National Guard as a public affairs specialist, working as a military journalist, media liaison and strategic communicator.[3] He described his professional background as journalism, broadcast, communications and strategic messaging, and said he helped run the campaign behind Proposition 2 and has held leadership roles in Democratic veterans' organizations at the county and state level.[3]

Howells advanced to the general election after the Democratic primary for the seat was canceled.[1] In his survey responses, he listed affordability and accessibility, planning for the future, and diversity as his key messages.[3] He named healthcare, medical cannabis policy, veterans' issues, disability rights and accessibility as policy areas he is passionate about, and said he sees the Great Salt Lake and water sustainability as Utah's greatest long-term challenge.[3] He listed the Center for Freethought Equality as an endorser.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.