Sen. Dan Thatcher leaves Republican party for Utah Forward party
SALT LAKE CITY () — On the final day of the 2025 Legislative Session, Utah Senator Dan Thatcher announced he was switching parties – leaving the GOP for .
Thatcher, who ran unopposed in 2022, has served in the state legislature since 2011. He currently represents District 11 which covers Tooele County and a portion of West Valley. His current term runs through 2026 when he is up for re-election.
During a press conference, Thatcher explained that it was his frustrations with the disconnect between the public and legislators that led to his decision. He argued that the Utah legislature has 'gone away from the people.'
'You're not imagining it, you're not crazy – we don't listen to you. We don't have to listen to you because you don't elect us,' said Thatcher. 'The system in Utah is set up so that very very few people actually make that decision and it's probably not you. And I think that is the core of the disconnect between the actions of the legislature and the needs and the values of the public that we're supposed to represent.'
He is now the only third-party lawmaker in both the Utah Senate and Utah House of Representatives.
The Utah Forward Party is a local chapter founded of the national , founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Adam Teuscher, the Utah Forward Party State Chair, previously told ABC4 the party started its efforts in 2023 and put its first candidates on the ballot in 2024.
According to , Utah Foward runs on 'doing, not dividing,' which they say means rejecting political extremes and working together to take 'real action.'
'We're not building a copy of the current parties, which are dragging our country backward,' the Utah Foward Party's website reads. 'We're moving American politics forward, with a party focused on innovative, collaborative, and common-sense solutions that work for the majority.'
Their include environmental sustainability, preservation of the Great Salt Lake, housing availability, and addressing homelessness.
The Utah Forward Party says it welcomes diverse thinking and new ideas and will approach colleagues with 'grace and tolerance.'
This article is being updated…
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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