{{short description|American politician}} {{Distinguish|Paul J. Ray|Paul Rae|Paul Rey}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Paul Ray | image = File:Paul Ray during a session.jpg | state_house = Utah | district = 13th | term_start = January 1, 2005 | term_end = December 15, 2021 | predecessor = Dana C. Love | successor = Karen Peterson | term_start1 = January 1, 2001 | term_end1 = December 31, 2002 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = Dana C. Love | office3 = Member of Clinton City Council | term_start3 = 2002 | term_end3 = 2005 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|10|25}}<ref>{{cite web |url= https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/25617/paul-ray |title= Paul Ray |publisher= Project Vote Smart |access-date= December 21, 2019}}</ref> | birth_place = Peru, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | website = {{URL|http://www.paulray.org/}} }}
'''Paul Ray''' is an American businessman, politician, and former law enforcement officer who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, Ray represented the 13th district covering a portion of Davis County, Utah.
==Early life and education== Ray was born in Peru, Indiana. He graduated from Peru High School in 1985 and took medicine courses at Indiana University Bloomington from 1985 to 1988.
==Career== Ray served as a police officer from 1987 to 1988 and also as the branch manager of a bank from 1988 to 1995. He works as the CEO for the Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.votepaulray.com/ |title=Paul Ray |publisher=Paul Ray |location=Salt Lake City, UT |access-date=April 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105123054/http://votepaulray.com/ |archive-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref>
===Politics=== Ray was a candidate for the Utah House of Representatives in 1998 but was not elected. He joined the Utah House in 2001 and served in that position until 2003. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 2002. He was elected on November 2, 2004, and last elected in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://votesmart.org/ |title= Paul Ray |publisher= Project Vote Smart |location= Philipsburg, Montana |access-date= April 10, 2014}}</ref>
Ray championed a 2019 law that prevents cities from setting up citizen review boards to oversee local police departments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodgers |first1=Bethany |title=Utah lawmakers push back on ideas for preventing police shootings |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/08/07/utah-lawmakers-push-back/ |access-date=August 7, 2020 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
In 2021, Ray defended a gerrymandered redistricting map proposal that was heavily tilted in favor of Republicans. The map broke up Utah's liberal urban areas, thus benefiting Republicans. Ray defended the proposed boundaries as "a good balance of urban-rural mix."<ref>{{Cite web|last=McKellar|first=Katie|date=2021-11-08|title=Utah redistricting: Despite cries of cracking communities, lawmakers select their own maps over independent ones|url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/11/8/22770759/utah-redistricting-lawmakers-select-own-maps-over-independent-ones-voter-districts-gerrymandering|access-date=2021-11-10|website=Deseret News|language=en}}</ref> In a 2023 lawsuit the Utah Supreme Court questioned the legitimacy of the Congressional map as it did not adhere to the ballot initiative passed by voters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Metz|first=Sam|date=2023-07-11|title=Utah high court scrutinizes process that sliced state's most Democrat-heavy county into 4 districts|url=https://apnews.com/article/utah-redistricting-3cb3fb05e7253f3ec3d26749138bea9e|access-date=2025-12-24|website=Associated Press|language=en-US}}</ref> A district court in 2025 struck down the approved Congressional Districts Map replacing it with a different committee map.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gehrke|first=Robert|date=2025-11-11|title='Extreme' gerrymander: Utah judge rejects GOP lawmakers' congressional map, picks districts favoring Democrats|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2025/11/11/gerrymander-utah-judge-rejects-gop/|access-date=2025-12-24|website=Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref>
Ray resigned as a representative on December 15, 2021, to take a new role as Legislative Affairs with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dunphey|first=Kyle|date=2021-12-02|title=Longtime Utah representative, House chair of redistricting committee, leaves Legislature for state job|url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/12/2/22814251/paul-ray-chair-of-redistricting-committee-resigns-from-utah-legislature-clearfield|access-date=2022-10-05|website=Deseret News|language=en}}</ref> He was replaced by Karen Peterson during a special election of the Davis County Republican Party.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rodgers|first=Bethany|date=2021-12-18|title=Utah governor's legislative liaison Karen Peterson to replace Paul Ray in Utah House|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/12/18/utah-governors/|access-date=2022-10-05|website= Salt Lake Tribune|language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Ray lives in Clinton, Utah, with his wife, Julie, and their four children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Ray|url=http://votesmart.org/|access-date=April 10, 2014|publisher=Project Vote Smart|location=Philipsburg, MT}}</ref>
On December 28, 2021, Ray was hospitalized for a cerebral hemorrhage and underwent surgery to alleviate bleeding in the brain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/12/28/22857950/utah-lawmaker-paul-ray-hospitalized-brain-bleed-serious-condition-surgery-redistricting|title=Former Utah lawmaker hospitalized in 'very serious condition'|publisher=Desert News|accessdate=January 19, 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://house.utah.gov/rep/RAYP/ Official page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117181202/https://house.utah.gov/rep/RAYP/ |date=2021-11-17 }} at the Utah State Legislature *[http://www.paulray.org Paul Ray's Official Campaign Web Site] *Paul Ray on Project Vote Smart: [https://votesmart.org/candidate/25617/paul-ray#.U0hdMPldVIE] *Paul Ray's Campaign Website: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140105123054/http://votepaulray.com/] *Paul Ray on Ballot Pedia: [http://ballotpedia.org/Paul_Ray] *Utah State Legislature [https://web.archive.org/web/20070223152555/http://le.utah.gov/house/members2005/bios2005.asp?id=13 biography pages: Paul Ray]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Paul}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Category:People from Peru, Indiana Category:Indiana University Bloomington alumni Category:Western Governors University alumni Category:People from Clearfield, Utah Category:21st-century members of the Utah Legislature