1996Final results
1996 election for Utah's 2nd District
U.S. House · Utah
Merrill Cook (R) won with 55.0% of the vote, defeating Ross C. Anderson (D) by 12.6 points.
Merrill CookRepublican · winner
55.0%129,963
Ross C. AndersonDemocrat
42.4%100,283
Arly H. PedersenIndependent
1.3%3,070
Catherine CarterNatural Law
1.3%2,981
236,321 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Ross C. AndersonMerrill Cook
$492.8K
Raised by the campaign
$1.1M
$491.7K
Spent by the campaign
$1.1M
$194
Cash on hand
$395
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Merrill Cook (R)Ross C. Anderson (D)
Also on the ballot: Arly H. Pedersen (Independent), 1.3%; Catherine Carter (Natural Law), 1.3%