The United Utah Party elected new party leadership at its State Convention on April 29th. "This is an exciting time for the UUP and the moderate movement in Utah, and we're grateful for the chance to help build even more momentum going forward," says Ladd Johnson, new party chair.

Politics can be discouraging, but the alternative is to give up and, as passionate moderates, that’s just not an option for us. Persistence is woven into Utah’s social fabric, and we’re good at playing the long game.

It can work both ways. In 2018, four initiatives made it to the ballot and three passed; in the intervening years, the legislature has gutted each one. In 2019, the legislature passed an unpopular tax reform bill in a December special session that was repealed under threat of referendum. The legislature passed it piecemeal instead.

Every election year, the UUP does a professional survey. We do this for several reasons: to learn more about which issues are important to voters, to help inform our candidates’ campaigns, and to track how awareness about the UUP has changed over time. I’d like to share some interesting results with you.

Last week, a leaked draft opinion indicated that the Supreme Court is inclined to overturn Roe v. Wade. To be clear, this is a draft opinion from February, not the final opinion of the court. Positions and reasoning can and do change, and so I don’t want to devote too much ink to something that is admittedly incomplete.

Former Senator Orrin Hatch has passed away at the age of 88. The United Utah Party appreciates his long career of civic service. "Senator Hatch was a wonderful example of dedicated service to his state and nation,” says Hillary Stirling, United Utah Party Chair.

Sen. Mitt Romney and Gov. Spencer Cox did not attend today's Republican Party Convention. "After being booed down last year, it’s no surprise they didn’t attend, and now Lt. Gov. Henderson has also been subjected to similar treatment," said Hillary Stirling, United Utah Party Chair. “All three would have found a much warmer welcome at our state convention last week.”

Democratic Party delegates took the unprecedented step today of forgoing nomination of their own candidate in favor of endorsing Evan McMullin for US Senate. "We applaud the courage and wisdom of the Democratic Party in setting aside party loyalty and putting the needs of Utah first," said Hillary Stirling, United Utah Party Chair.

Thank you to everyone who participated at our state convention last Saturday! It was good to meet together in person again, and we are grateful for the technology that allowed so many to join and participate remotely, too. The pandemic has stretched us individually and as a party, and being able to be even more inclusive is one of its few silver linings.

The Utah Party held its state nominating convention this Saturday. “This is the third time we're fielding candidates in regular elections, and we're excited to have such a solid slate. The opportunity to also vote on endorsing Evan McMullin only added to that excitement,” said Hillary Stirling, chair of the United Utah Party.

We are excited to have United Utah Party candidates running in Federal and State elections for 2022.  Look for events near you to meet them! 

Do their priorities and approach align with yours?  Find ways to volunteer for a particular candidate through their respective websites.

Federal Offices

House of Representatives - District 2

Jay MacFarland

https://www.jaymacforutah.com/

[email protected]

House of Representatives - District 4

January Walker

https://poplme.co/januarywalker/

[email protected]

Between the omicron variant, the disarray caused by redistricting, and an abruptly-shortened candidate recruiting season, we took a brief hiatus with the newsletter. But the good news is that we’re back and with a bang!

Businesswoman and cybersecurity professional January Walker announced today that she will run for U.S. House of Representatives in the 4th Congressional District with the United Utah Party. “Utah is the youngest state in the nation and deserves to have a seat at the table that’s representative of them in both age and technological expertise,” says January.

Checking the headlines lately has left me feeling saddened and even frustrated. Yes, we are in extraordinary times, but on the other hand, there has always been bad news. What matters is how we respond to it.

The United Utah Party supports a balanced approach to America’s infrastructure crisis. The $3.5
trillion infrastructure bill pushed by some Congressional Democrats is problematic, given our
country’s budget deficit and ballooning national debt. Maintaining our physical infrastructure
and implementing broadband are essential for modernizing the American economy. However,
the social programs included in this bill are not something that all Americans agree that we can
afford right now.

A friend recently asked me what makes the United Utah Party different from other political parties. I explained how we are the only political party in the state giving a voice and a vote to the “moderate middle.” My friend wasn’t as interested in our ideology, though. He wanted to know if we operated in the same way as other parties, and I was pleased to be able to tell him about an aspect of the UUP that is often less talked about.

I grew up watching 1776 and was particularly moved by “Is Anybody There?” While there’s plenty of literary license in it, I always appreciated John Adams’ well-documented vision of an America where all Americans are free. It was a lofty goal, one that we're arguably still working toward but we're undeniably closer to. His commitment, shared and treasured across generations of Americans, has allowed us to come as close as we have to realizing that vision.