Mike Winder

In 2016, Winder ran for the Utah State House of Representatives, defeating his Democratic opponent. He was sworn in as a member of the Utah State House of Representatives on January 1, 2017.

In 2017, he sent robocalls to display a false source phone number in telephone caller ID systems, causing it to appear that the calls were coming from the cell phone of the leader of Americans for Prosperity (AFP). AFP had sent out attack mail that falsely criticized Winder's stance on an issue that never came before a vote on the House floor. This practice, known as "spoofing", is illegal. AFP filed a complaint with the Utah Attorney General's office, but later withdrew the complaint after receiving a public apology from Winder. Winder said "I was taken aback by the mail piece, and in a knee-jerk reaction sent some calls I shouldn't have. I appreciate Evelyn and her team and look forward to a better working relationship going forward."

In 2017, Winder was also accused of using multiple user accounts to edit the Wikipedia article about him, to promote his accomplishments and remove unflattering information. He refused to confirm or deny the allegation.

Winder is married to Karyn Hermansen, who was elected to the Granite School District Board of Education in November 2014. They have four children.

Winder is the executive director of Friends of Traditional Banking. Since July 2014, Winder has been employed as director of entrepreneurship programs for Zions Bank.

Winder founded Neptune Strategies in 2012, a marketing and development firm. During the 2016 election cycle, Neptune Strategies was paid at least $65,000 for consulting by Friends of Traditional Banking, a Super PAC.

In 2012, Winder and former county council member Mark Crockett emerged from the Salt Lake County Republican Convention field of six to face off for the GOP nomination for county mayor. Crockett narrowly defeated Winder in the GOP primary election, 50.7% to 49.3%.

In 2011, Winder wrote articles promoting West Valley City for the Deseret News and KSL.com under the assumed name "Richard Burwash". The name was a pseudonym inspired by a 16th-century ancestor of Winder's. In the articles, Winder quoted himself as mayor.

At 29, he was the youngest council person in city history, and when sworn in on January 4, 2010, at age 33, he became the youngest mayor in city history.

He was elected on November 3, 2009 as the seventh mayor of West Valley City, Utah, with 76% of the vote; his opponent was Kevin Fayles.

Winder presented an academic paper as part of the Abraham Lincoln Sesquicentennial in 2009 and was published in the Journal of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 2011. As mayor in 2012, he also authored the first photographic history of West Valley City for Arcadia Publishing. Winder is a past president of the Utah British Isles Association.

He was elected to an at-large seat on the West Valley City Council in November 2005 with 71% of the vote over 12-year incumbent Barbara Thomas.

An historian, he is the author of twelve published books on Utah and LDS history, including Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church. In 2005, Winder was appointed by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. to a four-year term on the Utah Board of State History, and reappointed in 2009. In 2012, he was appointed by Governor Gary Herbert to a four-year term on the Advisory Board for the Office of Museum Services.

From 2004-2009 he was vice president of marketing for Winder Farms. He was director of public affairs for The Summit Group Communications from 2009–2011.

Winder was Business Development Manager for West Valley City from 2000–2004, during which time he also chaired the Chamber West Economic Development Committee.

Winder was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from Taylorsville High School. From 1995 to 1997 he was a missionary in Taipei, Taiwan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Michael Kent Winder (born January 27, 1976) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He was the mayor of West Valley City, Utah between 2010 and 2014. A Republican, he currently represents District 30 in the Utah House of Representatives, a position to which he was first elected in November 2016. He is the author of twelve published books on Utah and LDS history, including Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church. He has received criticism in the press for using false identities and undisclosed pseudonyms for city promotion, for a political attack, and for editing of the Wikipedia article about him.