Utah maintains independent streak

STATE STATS

Voter makeup: As of July, Utah boasts nearly 2 million registered voters, 1.7 million of whom are active. Republicans make up the largest party by far with 899,885 registered voters, and unaffiliated voters number the second largest group at 469,413. There are 230,787 active Democratic voters in Utah. Under new laws passed in the 2023 legislative session, Utah voters could only change their party affiliation for the primaries by Jan. 9. For the general election, they have until the end of July to change their party.

Voting: The Democratic primary in Utah is run on an open system, meaning any voter may participate regardless of registration. The Republican primary is reserved only for registered Republicans. According to state law, employers must grant two hours of paid leave for employees to go vote if workers do not have time to get to the polls outside of working hours.

Utah allows same-day voter registration with valid photo ID and proof of state residency. The state automatically sends ballots to all registered voters, who may also apply to have their ballot delivered to a different address. All mail-in ballots that are postmarked the day before Election Day will be counted.

PRESIDENTIAL

Utah carries six electoral votes; they are typically considered safely Republican. While Democrat Franklin Roosevelt carried the state four times, followed by Harry S. Truman’s win in the state, Lyndon Johnson was the last Democrat to win Utah, in his landslide 1964 victory. In 2012, Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama by one of the largest margins in state history: 72.8 percent to 24.8 percent. While former President Donald Trump won the state in 2016 and 2020, his support is more lukewarm among the majority Mormon population. In 2016, a staggering 27 percent of voters chose a third-party candidate rather than Trump or Hillary Clinton.

In this year’s primary, Trump won 56.4 percent of the Republican primary vote, while former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley received 42.7 percent. Texas megachurch pastor Ryan Binkley had one of his best showings in Utah, winning 826 votes, roughly 1 percent.

President Joe Biden won Utah’s 30 Democratic delegates and 86.8 percent of the primary vote. Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota received 5.2 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

GUBERNATORIAL

• Incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox, 49, is running for a second term and is favored to win, though he faced stiff opposition in the Republican primary and in the state party convention. Cox was the lieutenant governor of Utah from 2013 to 2021. The former attorney has also served in the state House of Representatives. During his term, Cox has become known for bucking his party. In this year’s legislative session alone, he has vetoed seven Republican-backed bills. In 2022, the legislature overrode his veto of a bill that prevented transgender students from competing in women’s sports. That same year, he became the first governor to recognize June as Pride Month. In March 2023, Cox signed into law a bill that stopped abortion centers from operating and required that any abortions be performed at a hospital. A district court placed an injunction the day before the law took effect. In a July interview with CNN, Cox said he would not vote for Trump but will instead write someone in. As a chair of the National Governors Association, Cox launched the “Disagree Better” campaign last year, aimed to combat polarization by pairing up Republican and Democratic governors in ads and outreach efforts.

• State Rep. Brian King won the Democratic primary to challenge Cox in April. He previously served as the state House minority leader from 2015 until last year. A former attorney, King was first elected to the state legislature in 2008. He has campaigned heavily on pro-abortion causes. In 2020, he led the opposition against Utah’s pro-life legislation, writing in an op-ed that he is “a supporter of the legal need to have abortion options.” In a recent campaign video, he said, “I’m a Democrat because of my faith, not despite it,” adding that his membership in the Latter-day Saints makes him a “maverick” among Democrats. Like Cox, King is open about his Mormon religion, but he has argued that voters should vote by principle, not tradition.

• Independent American Party candidate Tommy Williams and Libertarian J. Robert Latham are also running for governor in 2024.

SENATE

Sen. Mitt Romney announced last year that he will retire after his term concludes in January. He leaves one of only eight states with an open U.S. Senate seat where the incumbent is not running. Utah has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970.

• Caroline Gleich, 38, is a professional skier running as the Democratic candidate for the open Senate seat. Most of her platform centers around environmental activism, promising to push for clean energy policy. She has previously testified before Congress on the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019. Gleich calls herself an athlete activist. She is also a professional mountaineer and online content creator. In July, she filed an appeal with the Federal Election Commission to amend finance rules that have led to brand sponsorships pulling out. She asked the agency to redefine sponsored posts as “business communications” that are exempt from political contribution rules. If she wins the election, she would be the youngest woman in the U.S. Senate.

• U.S. Rep. John Curtis, 64, won the Republican primary in June, defeating Trump-backed primary opponent Trent Staggs. Curtis is also running on an environmental policy platform. He founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021. Curtis is considered a more moderate member among the House GOP. In 2022, he voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage into federal law. He was also one of the few Republicans who did not sign an amicus brief in 2020 to challenge the presidential election results.

U.S. HOUSE

Republicans hold all four of Utah’s congressional seats, and none are expected to be competitive this year.

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS

Only one of Utah’s five Supreme Court justices is up for retention election this year. Matthew Durrant is running unopposed to serve another 10-year term. Durrant has already served on the bench since 2000, and this is his second retention election. According to state law, the governor selects a nominee from a list of candidates a judicial nominating commission recommends. The nominee then must receive state Senate approval. After serving for three years, justices run in a yes-no retention vote.

BALLOT MEASURES

Utah voters will determine three constitutional amendments in November. The state legislature referred all three.

• The Elections of County Sheriffs Amendment would allow county sheriffs to serve four-year terms.

• A state school fund amendment would increase annual distributions for public education from 4 percent to 5 percent.

• A higher education amendment would change the constitutional mandate for how intangible property and income taxes are used to fund public education.

Dig deeper:

• Read Christina Grube’s report on a DOJ lawsuit against Utah, alleging discrimination against an inmate with gender dysphoria.

• Lauren Canterberry covers Sen. Mitt Romney’s announcement last year that he would not seek reelection.

• Elizabeth Russell reports on a bill Gov. Spencer Cox signed to allow Utah public schools to teach the Ten Commandments in history classes.

Visit the WORLD Election Center 2024 to follow our state-by-state coverage between now and November.