Senator Luz Escamilla Contact information

Luz Robles Escamilla is a prominent figure in the Utah State Senate, currently representing the 10th District. Before the redistricting, she represented the 1st District, having defeated Republican Carlton Christensen for the seat on November 4, 2008. This was after she had won the party nomination earlier that year against incumbent Sen. Fred Fife.

Born in 1978 to two Mexican college professors, Escamilla was raised in Mexico. She moved to the United States in 1996 and graduated from Marian Catholic High School in San Diego, CA. She pursued her higher education at the University of Utah, earning her Bachelor of Science in business marketing in 2000 and a Masters in Public Administration in 2005.

Escamilla is married to former Arizona lawmaker Juan Carlos Escamilla. He proposed to Luz on the Utah Senate floor during the 2014 legislative session. Professionally, Luz Escamilla works as a director for the Zions Bank Business Resource Center. She is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as Mormons.

In her political career, Senator Escamilla has served as the minority assistant whip in the Utah State Senate. Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. appointed Escamilla to the State Office of Ethnic Affairs in 2005. In 2010, she received the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Pathfinder Award and the SBA Award. She has also been honored with the Pete Suazo Memorial Award from the University of Utah.

Senator Escamilla has served as a board member for several organizations, including the University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Regence Caring Foundation, the Utah Health Policy Project, and the Primary Children’s Medical Center.

Escamilla was first elected to the Utah State Senate in 2008, and was re-elected in 2012. In 2016, she served on several Senate standing committees, including the Senate Ethics Committee, Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee, Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee.

In 2014, Escamilla ran for Congress in Utah’s 2nd congressional district. The seat was held by Republican incumbent Chris Stewart, who won reelection. In 2019, Sen. Escamilla ran for mayor of Salt Lake City, after Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced she would not run for another term. In the 2019 election, Escamilla finished second behind Salt Lake City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall.