The political bug has been caught by another former official from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Chris Peterson, a former senior counsel at the CFPB, announced this week that he is running for governor of Utah as a Democrat.
Peterson joins former CFPB Director Richard Cordray, who ran for governor of Ohio in 2018, but lost to Republican Mike DeWine, in seeking political office after leaving the bureau.
Peterson, who is currently a professor of law at the University of Utah, spent four years working at the CFPB, from 2012 to 2016. During his time at the CFPB, he worked in a number of departments, including the Office of Enforcement.
“I’m running for governor because I want to fight for working people,” Peterson says on his website. “Despite Utah’s successes, too many of our families are still struggling to get by. Every Utahn deserves access to affordable health care, a great education, clean air, and a government that respects public opinion.”
Before joining the CFPB, Peterson worked as an attorney at the United States Public Interest Research Group.
Gary Herbert, a Republican, has been the governor of Utah for the past eight years, but has announced he will not seek re-election. He has endorsed his lieutenant governor, Spencer Cox, to replace him. Utah has not had a Democrat for governor since Scott Matheson left office in 1985.
Two other Democrats have so far announced their candidacy – Zachary Moses, the CEO of Hetravel.com, and Mark Smith, a management consultant.
