Utah State Senate · District 16

I am the oldest of 6 children, born to Kay Thompson and Roger Rawson on a dairy farm in Hooper, Utah. This is me at 1 year old, holding the doll my mom made me.

When I wasn’t riding calves or building forts in the haystack (remember I grew up on a dairy farm!) I spent many hours learning about the world of public service campaigning for my dad. Here I am at age 10 with my younger sister Tana with the ‘float’ we entered in the Hooper Tomato Days Parade.

My father, Roger Rawson served for 10 years as a Representative in the Utah Legislature. In 1978, he served as the Majority Leader in the House, (yes he was the Democrat Majority Leader!). This is one of his campaign photos taken in about 1982. I learned much about public service and what it means to be a citizen statesman from my dad.

This is a photo of the US Capitol building I took while working as an intern for Senator Jake Garn 1982. My life’s most ‘memorable moment’ occurred that same fall in the Washington DC Temple Visitors’ Center, when I knew I would marry Harlan only 3 days after meeting him.

I graduated from Utah State University in 1983 with a double major of Political Science and Business Administration

Harlan & I started our bipartisan family 25 years ago. Just a few weeks before this photo was taken my grandmother (wife of my LDS bishop) found out that Harlan was attending the Utah County Republican convention. My grandma said to me “But RaDene, I’ve never met a Republican I like.” She paused. “But I like Harlan” And with that I started building the bridges I’ve continued to build between my family and friends who found themselves in different political parties.

This is a blurry picture of me, Harlan & my dad standing in front of the Minnesota State Capitol. During the time I was in graduate school at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, I spent many hours working and learning in this building. In 1986, I staffed MN Attorney General’s task force on Child Abuse. I served for 2 years as a member of MN Legislative Advisory Tax Policy Study. During this time I also worked as a Research Assistant at Juvenile Justice Policy Center and staffed a series of conferences for Juvenile Court Judges across the country.

In 1987 we left Minnesota and moved to Seattle Washington to embark on new careers, Harlan as a lawyer with an environmental law practice and me as a full time mom and community volunteer. We loved living and camping in the Northwest.

This is a photo of our children taken in 1996 at the Vineyard Nursery. We moved back to Provo that summer to be closer to our families and for Harlan to pursue an exciting career as corporate council at Covol Technologies.

Here I am with my Grandmother Della Rawson—who at 95 is the oldest living Democrat in Hooper, my Father, Roger Rawson, and my daughter Malory who now represents a 5th generation of Utah Democrats.

From 2004-2008 I helped build the Band Parent Council at Timpview HS. Under my leadership funds were raised that purchased new marching band uniforms, instruments, and provided outstanding educational experiences for the students in Normandy France and Washington DC.

Our bipartisan family tradition continues. Me (Democrat), Harlan (Republican), Mitchell (15—undeclared) Malory (20—Democrat), Spencer (18—Independent). If someone were to ask me what my greatest accomplishment is in my life so far—I’d have to say “My children”. I left a promising career in public service to stay home and raise them. I think it’s cool that they each received the “Hope of America” award from the Provo Rotary Club as 6th graders. I feel great satisfaction knowing that I have helped to raise three wonderful people who are in fact the “Hope of America”.