Lily Grapes

**Lilith "Lapis" Grapes-Bush** (born March 1, 1977) is an American Democratic politician and interior designer who has served as the Governor of Utah since 2009. Before this, she served as Mayor of Salt Lake County form 2001 until 2009, and Mayor of Salt Lake City from 1996 until 2001. She was the Democratic nominee in the narrowly decided 2006 Utah U.S. Senate race. She was First Lady of Florida from 2000 until 2003 as the wife of 2016 Republican presidential nominee Jeb Bush.

Grapes' speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention is considered one of the best speeches in American political history and lead to a massive shift in American opinion on LGBT issues. Grapes is openly bisexual. She announced on January 13, 2024 that she is seeking re-election to a fifth term as Governor in 2024.

## Career

### Beginning

Grapes began her political career at the age of 18 shortly after registering to vote. Originally believing she would not last until the general election, Grapes won the 1995 Salt Lake City mayoral election with ease against incumbent Deedee Corradini. Presiding over prosperity, she won re-election in 1999. When the position of Mayor of Salt Lake County held it's first election in 2000, Grapes ran and won by 26 votes. She resigned from the former position the same day she was sworn in.

### Mayor and U.S. Senate run

As Mayor of Salt Lake County, Lapis gained national attention when the 2004 Democratic National Convention was hosted in Salt Lake City. As well as this, Grapes gave the nominating speech for Sam Nunn, where she shared many of her progressive views, especially on LGBT issues. Lapis's speech, alongside Barack Obama's keynote address, launched her into the national spotlight, making her a potential Presidential candidate. Grapes used her popularity to run for the U.S. Senate in 2006 against Republican incumbent Orrin Hatch. In the closest U.S. Senate race in Utah since Hatch's first election in 1976, Grapes was defeated by half a point.

### Governor

Come 2008, Grapes announced her run for Governor. Grapes was set up against popular Republican incumbent Nolan Karras, a businessman who was widely expected to win re-election. However, Grapes reflected on her strongly positive record as Salt Lake City and County mayor, and the usually Republican city came in solidly Democratic on election night, costing Karras the election.

Grapes' election brought coattails of archprogressives into the state legislature. Utah legalized gay marriage in 2009 and legalized medical sex transitions for over 16s in 2010. Grapes has defended these laws since, despite the efforts of Republican lawmakers to overturn them. Grapes refused to run for the open U.S. Senate seat left by the retiring Hatch in 2018, endorsing Republican Spencer Cox, who ran as a liberal.

In 2009, U.S. Senator Jon Huntsman Jr. retired to become U.S. Ambassador to China under President Barack Obama. This allowed Grapes to appoint a Democrat. Refusing to appoint herself, she appointed Rocky Anderson, the Mayor of Salt Lake City. No special election was called, since the seat was already up in 2010. However, Jason Chaffetz ran in the 2010 election, and Anderson lost by the largest margin of any incumbent Senator in history.

### Electoral history

Grapes won the 1995 and 1999 Salt Lake City mayoral elections, the 2000 and 2004 Salt Lake County mayoral elections, and the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Utah gubernatorial elections. Grapes lost the 2006 United States Senate election in Utah.