Leah Tonga Hansen is an American politician serving as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 51st district. A Republican, she was appointed to the seat in 2025.
Background Hansen was born in Hawaii to Brigham Young University-Hawaii students from Tonga and New Zealand; she lived in Tonga until she was 12 years old when the family moved to Utah. She is of Pacific Islander descent. She attended Weber State University before prioritizing family to raise her children.
A stay-at-home mom, Hansen began attending committee and floor meetings of the Utah State Legislature around 2016. She supported HB261, an anti-DEI bill sponsored by Katy Hall, in January 2024. In January 2025 she testified in support of state senator Lincoln Fillmore's bill encouraging childhood independence and free play.
Utah House of Representatives In May 2025, Hansen announced her campaign to be appointed to Jefferson Moss' seat in the Utah House of Representatives following his resignation to lead Governor Spencer Cox's Office of Economic Opportunity. Hansen won the special election to fill the seat, winning 59.52% of Utah County Republican Party delegates in the third round. She has introduced no bills, saying “I don’t have any bills at this time because I believe that restraint begins with me. If I’m wanting to limit government, I’d better start by limiting myself” in January 2026.
Electoral history 2025 Utah House District 51 special election resultsCandidateFirst roundSecond roundThird round Votes % Votes % Votes % Leah Hansen 33 39.29% 45 53.57% 50 59.52% Corey Astill 35 41.67% 35 39.29% 34 40.48% Melissa Gonzalez 10 11.9% 4 4.76% Jason Putnam 4 4.76% Ricardo Felix 1 1.2% Total 83 100.0% 84 100.0% 84 100.0%
References
External links
Leah Hansen at the Utah State Legislature