Utah Democrats Hold Their Own, Resisting Nationwide Trends

Salt Lake City - Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis and Vice-Chair Oscar Mata released the following joint statement on Nov 20, 2024:

“As election results are finalized, it is clear that Utah resisted a nationwide shift to the right. Despite high Republican turnout and thousands of dollars spent by outside organizations to benefit Republican candidates, Democrats prevented Republicans from netting any seats in the State Legislature. 

Utah Democrats had some incredible victories this year. Despite the fact that the Salt Lake County Republican Party spent over $300,000 this cycle, their candidate for County Mayor was trounced by Mayor Jenny Wilson. Although the Republican candidate for Salt Lake County Council At-Large raised over $100,000 more than Democratic candidate Natalie Pinkney, Pinkney won the election, becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the Salt Lake County Council. Sheila Srivastava flipped the County Treasurer’s office for Democrats. West Valley City Councilmember Jake Fitisemanu flipped House District 30, making him and fellow Legislator-elect Verona Mauga the first Samoan-Americans to be elected to the Utah Legislature. Critically, Democrats won every Summit County position up for election this year. The Utah Democratic Party owes a debt of gratitude to all the Democrats who ran for office. Their hard work has helped build party infrastructure, recruit volunteers, and raise important issues. 

Although this election is over, Democrats must remain engaged. The Republican Supermajority has failed to lower the cost of housing or groceries in our state. They are criminally underfunding our children’s education. They continue to threaten the lives and freedoms of women and LGBTQ+ people. Utah could overturn the Republican Supermajority’s gerrymandering in time for the 2026 elections. When our state has fair maps, Democrats will be ready to break the Republican Supermajority.