Garret Rushforth
Candidate: SD 7

Who am I?

My name is Garret Rushforth. I am a native of Centerville. I've called Utah home for my entire life.

I was raised by two of the hardest working parents anyone could ask to have. The oldest of seven children, I learned quickly that responsibility was a verb. It was something you did. You stepped up when action was needed.

At age 8 I joined the Cub Scouts and would go through the whole of the scouting program, eventually attaining the Eagle Scout award at 14.

I was athletically and musically inclined, participating in football, band, choir, track and field, and numerous other activities throughout my adolescence.

At 19 I left to spent two years in Boston, serving in and supporting various communities. In 2013, I learned how communities come together strong and enduring after the Boston Marathon was horrifically attacked.

I attained a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Geography from BYU in 2019. During my schooling I had the opportunity to work with BYU's Divine Comedy and Studio C in various capacities. Each summer I would work as a landscaper for Bountiful city. In 2025, I completed a Master's of Science Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governor's University.

I am currently a Social Studies and Theater Teacher for Davis School District.

That is a brief synopsis of my life. But one that misses the most important moments. It misses how I would look forward to scouting trips so I could spend time with my dad. It misses how I would help my mother with whatever work she would be working on so that we would have just a little more money that month.

It misses how I would listen to the people on the streets laugh as they would barbecue in the summer. Successes on the football field, the wonder of bowing after a musical performance. It misses the joy in a student's eyes when they've understood something difficult.

It also misses the pain of having to suffer in poverty. Of going to bed with water for dinner. Of wondering if buying a treat will mean we won't have dinner.

That brief synopsis misses the anger and resentment of politicians who make the law more lenient on those guilty of perpetrating crimes on minors. The anger of watching students wonder if their parents will be home or if immigration agents have taken them while they are at school.

It misses the late nights feeling powerless while others fill their pockets and leave the rest of us to die.

That small description of my life missed how much my community and my state means to me.

I'm running because I want to make sure my students will never have to wonder if any politicians care about them. Because I will.

And I will fight for the right for all members of my community to know that someone will stand up for them.

I'm Garret Rushforth,

And I'm the next Senator for Senate District 7.