Chris Harding, the Republican Salt Lake County auditor, is running for a second term in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Ali Cloward.
The auditor's office oversees county spending and operations that affect taxpayers across Salt Lake County, including Millcreek. Harding said on his campaign website that his priorities include restoring independence to the auditor's office, re-establishing a functioning audit committee with the County Council and increasing audit effectiveness.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Salt Lake County Auditor
- Current role: Salt Lake County Auditor (elected 2022)
- Education: Bachelor's in accounting, University of Utah (2006); MBA, Weber State University (2008)
- Certifications (claimed by the candidate): Certified Public Accountant since May 2009, licensed by the Utah Department of Commerce; Certified Fraud Examiner since May 2011, credentialed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; Certified Internal Auditor since January 2012, credentialed by The Institute of Internal Auditors
Experience and public service
Before winning the auditor's seat in 2022, Harding spent more than a decade in federal and private-sector audit roles, according to BallotReady profile data.
He worked as a senior auditor at the Defense Contract Audit Agency from 2008 to 2015, then as a cost/price analyst at the Defense Contract Management Agency from 2015 to 2017. He served as director of internal review and compliance at Dugway Proving Ground for the U.S. Army from 2017 to 2019. He then worked as an auditor at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration from 2019 to 2022.
Harding also runs his own firm, Chris Harding CPA, where he has served as chief audit executive since 2018, according to BallotReady. He launched a second firm, CPA Insight Solutions, in 2025.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior collections representative at Discover Financial Services from 2002 to 2006 and as a senior auditor at two accounting firms, Pritchett, Siler, & Hardy and Jensen & Keddington, from 2006 to 2008.
On the issues
Government transparency: Harding said on his campaign website that he is committed to "radical transparency." He said the office earned its first-ever passing peer review, conducted by the Association of Local Government Auditors in 2024, and that he built a public Audit Recommendations Dashboard to track every audit recommendation to completion.
Office independence: Harding said he wants to restore independence to the county auditor's office and collaborate with the County Council to re-establish a functioning audit committee, according to his campaign platform.
Government operations and technology: Harding said he is committed to using technology and digital tools to streamline audits, improve efficiency and enhance taxpayer accessibility, according to his campaign priorities page.
Staffing: Harding said he wants to recruit, develop and retain high-caliber professionals as the office expands, according to his campaign platform.
Candidate positions are drawn from Chris Harding's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. The Millcreek Times will publish a profile of Ali Cloward when information becomes available.
