Latest news with #UtahForwardParty
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
United Utah, Forward Party merge after first-of-its kind vote. Up next? A new name
Supporters of the Forward Party mingle at a joint convention between the United Utah and Utah Forward parties, where members of both parties voted to merge into one. The convention took place at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville on April 26, 2025. (Courtesy of Alora Casper, Executive Director of United Utah Party) Two of Utah's centrist parties have officially joined forces in hopes of growing a movement to break away from a two-party, 'us-versus-them' system. The United Utah Party and the Utah Forward Party held an unprecedented combined convention on Saturday at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville, where both parties voted nearly unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding to formally merge under the umbrella of the national Forward Party. An 'unprecedented' merger of 2 centrist parties: United Utah Party looks to join Forward Party It's the first time two political parties have ever joined together in the state of Utah. Party officials said they're coordinating with the state's top election officials in the lieutenant governor's office to facilitate the merger, for which no legal process exists in state law. Still, the parties are charting their own path for the merger, for which the now-approved memorandum of understanding lays out a process that will take place over the next several months. The new party's name, the MOU stipulates, 'shall be the 'Utah Forward Party,' the 'United Forward Party' or such other name selected and approved by the National Forward Party.' On Saturday, both parties voted independently to approve the merger before combining in a joint session, where leaders gave speeches applauding the merger as a momentum-building move for Utah's moderate and centrist movement. Speakers included newly-elected Chair Michelle Quist — who last year ran as United Utah's candidate for attorney general — and Sen. Dan Thatcher, a former Republican from West Valley, who recently announced he'd left the GOP to join the Utah Forward Party. 'There are real problems that Utahns are facing, but our leaders aren't listening because they're too busy trying to win their partisan blood sport,' Quist said. 'The two-party system has not served us well. … We cannot see beyond the us-versus-them mentality. So it's time to move beyond that psyche and look to do what's best for Utahns.' Former New Jersey governor and EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman — who co-founded and co-chairs the national Forward Party alongside businessman and onetime presidential candidate Andrew Yang — also spoke Saturday, encouraging Utahns to break the stranglehold of the two-party system, which she said is more focused on winning than representing Americans. 'I honestly believe that we are within a hair of losing our democracy,' Whitman said. 'There is, to me, an unconscionable lack of respect for the rule of law, the lack of respect for the Constitution. … It's not about solving problems, it's about staying in power.' She pointed to states like Utah, where most districts are largely controlled by 'one party,' the GOP, resulting in elections where 'voters don't have a choice. There's one candidate, and that's it. And that has never served the public.' 'When all an incumbent has to do is worry about their base in the primaries, they don't care about the rest of the people. To heck with it, and they don't represent the rest of the people when they get in,' Whitman said. Utah senator announces he's leaving the Republican party, joining Utah Forward Party Yang also issued a prepared statement in a news release issued by party leaders, pointing to Gallup polling that shows roughly 60% of Americans agree that the U.S. needs a third major party because the Republican and Democratic parties 'do such a poor job' of representing Americans. 'It's no wonder why,' Yang said. 'The existing parties have failed to address the biggest issues facing voters. People want job security and to plan for their retirement; they want their kids to be safe, they want to live in a nation of laws that protect them, they don't want to be told they need to hate their neighbors if they disagree with them on some policy position. They want their representatives to pay attention to their lives and listen to their needs.' Instead, Yang said, 'the legacy parties are focused on maintaining power and the 'us versus them' fight that keeps their fundraising totals high.' Yang said Utah is at the 'forefront' of the Forward Party's effort to build a '50-state movement.' So far, the Forward Party or an affiliate party is recognized in 13 states, Whitman said, compared to just five states two months ago. Plus, she said the party has 50 elected officeholders who have affiliated in some way with the Forward Party. Their goal, she said, is to be 'on the ballot in all states' by the next presidential election, in 2028. 'We are growing,' she said. 'We're growing fast. We're growing big.' Thatcher, when he took the podium, told the crowd of roughly 250 that came to Saturday's convention that, 'you're not crazy.' 'You're not imagining it. Things are really, really bad right now,' said the former Republican senator — who in recent years became no stranger to bucking the GOP party line before he unaffiliated last month. 'The absolute contempt coming from the (Utah) Legislature this year just completely blew my mind.' Thatcher said for years he had been 'concerned about the direction' the Republican party was heading, 'but I always believed that the GOP would come back to its founding principles.' However, when lawmakers tried to amend the Utah Constitution to weaken voters' ballot initiative powers and give the Legislature the ultimate and final say on all types of ballot initiatives with Amendment D — a ballot question the courts ultimately voided because its language written by GOP legislative leaders was misleading — Thatcher said that 'completely made it clear that it's not going to happen.' 'Because I believe the GOP has ceased to uphold the rule of law, because they are no longer grounded to the Constitution, and because they're not even following their own platform, which was why I joined them in the first place, they are no longer entitled to my support,' Thatcher said. Instead, he said the Forward Party better 'respects my principles of rights, of reason, and of respect.' 'The Forward Party is different from anything I've ever seen before,' Thatcher said. 'It is why I feel so at home in this place that feels clean. I feel safe in this room. I feel respected in this room. I feel like I can disagree with someone and not have any name-calling or our tables flipping.' More than anything, Thatcher said he joined the Forward Party because he wants 'to fight for people, for decency, for representation.' 'It is so freeing to stop saying 'we' as I talk about the completely crazy things that the (Republican) party is doing to people,' he said. 'But moreover, it feels so good to say 'we' as I talk about the crazy things the Forward Party is doing for people. Below is the MOU approved by both parties on Saturday: MOU - UUP Fwd Merger (Final) (1) signed
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
United Utah Party, Utah Forward Party announce plans to merge operations
SALT LAKE CITY — Two of Utah's smallest and newest political parties announced plans to merge their operations Tuesday in hopes of better reaching voters who are looking for a third party option in the state. The United Utah Party and the Utah Forward Party have been discussing a possible merger for months, according to United Utah Party Chairman Ladd Johnson, but the negotiations were spurred on by the news that former Republican state Sen. Daniel Thatcher would join the Utah Forward Party — becoming the first elected official of that newly-formed apparatus in the state. Johnson said he views the merger as a chance to 'build on the momentum' of Thatcher's switch. 'The United Utah Party's long-term vision has always been to start locally and build up a grassroots political movement in Utah before eventually joining together with similar movements from other states,' he said. 'The proposed merger with the Forward Party is an important and exciting step in furthering that vision. We will bring the experience, excellent platform and approach, and dedicated leaders and members of the UUP and combine with the talent, energy and national presence of the Forward Party.' The merger — which is believed to be the first agreement of its kind between political parties in Utah — still needs to be ratified by members of both parties during a joint organizing convention on April 26. The United Utah Party was created in 2017 as a unique party in the Beehive State. It has backed congressional candidates in several races since then, though they have always finished behind the nominees from the Republican and Democratic parties. The Utah Forward Party gained ballot access in the state in 2023. It is associated with the national Forward Party, founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Together the two parties have about 2,400 active voters in Utah. Adam Teuscher, chairman of the Utah Forward Party, credited the United Utah Party for giving 'a home to disenfranchised voters and candidates who bravely opted out of an obviously dysfunctional two-party system.' 'They've worked tirelessly to give voters a quality third option,' he said. 'They believe that electeds should put the interests of their constituents over those of party bosses. Forward stands for the same, but we do so as part of a 50-state movement. UUP blazed the path, and through this merger, we hope to widen it.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah's third party political parties announces plans to merge
SALT LAKE CITY () — Utah's third-party political parties – the United Utah Party and Utah Forward Party – to merge into a single party. The two groups would form to become either the 'Utah Forward Party' or the 'United Forward Party,' depending on what is approved by the , to which the Utah Forward Party is affiliated. Both third-party groups said they share common values, including strengthening democracy, improving government efficiency, responsiveness and ethics, and helping the moderate majority become politically organized. '[Utah United Party has] worked tirelessly to give voters a quality third option,' said Adam Teuscher, the chair of the Utah Forward Party. 'They believe that electeds should put the interests of their constituents over those of party bosses. Forward stands for the same, but we do so as part of a 50-state movement. UUP blazed the path and through this merger, we hope to widen it.' Judge over gerrymandering case against Utah legislature asks for clarification over tossing maps The merger has reportedly been months in the works but recently gained momentum after Utah Sen. Daniel Thatcher (UFP-Tooele) in favor of the Utah Forward Party. The two groups won't officially merge until it has been approved by party members of both parties. The United Utah Party and the Utah Forward Party will hold separate votes on the proposed merger on Saturday, April 26. If approved, the two parties will create an interim Executive Committee appointed by existing party leadership to oversee the process of combining separate parties within the bounds of Utah State Law. 'The United Utah Party's long-term vision has always been to start locally and build up a grass-roots political movement in Utah before eventually joining together with similar movements from other states,' said Ladd Johnson, chair of the United Utah Party. 'The proposed merger with the Forward Party is an important and exciting step furthering that vision. We will bring the experience, excellent platform and approach, and dedicated leaders and members of the UUP and combine with the talent, energy, and national presence of the Forward Party.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
An ‘unprecedented' merger of 2 centrist parties: United Utah Party looks to join Forward Party
Twenty candidates running for office in Utah as either unaffiliated independents, or members of the Utah Forward or United Utah parties pose for a group photo during a "Meet the Moderates" event in Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City on Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy of David Hinckley) Party leadership of the centrist United Utah Party announced on Wednesday they have plans to merge with the Utah Forward Party. They announced in a news release issued Wednesday morning that a formal agreement for the merger will be presented at a joint organizing convention later this month, scheduled for April 26. Party leaders say the move would be 'unprecedented.' 'If consummated, it is believed to be the first ever merger of political parties in the state of Utah,' the release stated. The announcement comes less than a month after a Republican state senator, Sen. Dan Thatcher, of West Valley City, unaffiliated with the GOP and instead joined the Utah Forward Party — a centrist party that has the slogan 'Not left. Not right. Forward.' Utah senator announces he's leaving the Republican party, joining Utah Forward Party Party leadership said 'discussions about a possible merger have been taking place for many months and have been recently accelerated, building on the momentum of the news' that Thatcher was switching parties. 'Since 2017 the UUP has been a home to disenfranchised voters and candidates who bravely opted out of an obviously dysfunctional two-party system,' said Utah Forward Party Chair Adam Teuscher. 'They've worked tirelessly to give voters a quality third option. They believe that electeds should put the interests of their constituents over those of party bosses. Forward stands for the same, but we do so as part of a 50-state movement.' While Teuscher said the United Utah Party 'blazed this path,' through the merger, 'we hope to widen it.' United Utah Party Chair Ladd Johnson also applauded the merger as a strategic move to further the centrist movement. 'The United Utah Party's long-term vision has always been to start locally and build-up a grass-roots political movement in Utah before eventually joining together with similar movements from other states,' Johnson said. 'The proposed merger with the Forward Party is an important and exciting step in furthering that vision.' Johnson added that the United Utah Party's membership will bring 'the experience, excellent platform and approach, and dedicated leaders' to combine 'with the talent, energy and national presence of the Forward Party.' According to state voter registration statistics, the United Utah Party had about 2,210 active registered party members as of Monday, while the Utah Forward Party had 200. That's compared to 933,827 members of the Republican Party, which dominates much of the state, and 241,633 Democrats. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Johnson told Utah News Dispatch in an interview Wednesday morning that even though the United Utah Party currently has more local members than the Utah Forward Party, the merger is proposed to join a growing national movement. 'When (the Forward Party) formed in Utah, we didn't join them immediately, and we were sort of just checking in and seeing how things are going, but we've worked closely with them,' Johnson said, adding that the two parties co-hosted candidate events during the 2024 election. 'As they continue to grow nationally, we just felt the timing is really good. Let's do this. We feel like it's an hour of need for our country, and so we're excited to be part of a bigger movement.' Johnson added that 'we'll still keep all of our Utah values and policies and hard work here, but now we can more easily speak to national matters as well.' While the United Utah and Forward Party's registration numbers are small compared to the GOP, Johnson also noted that because the Utah Republican Party holds closed primaries, there are potentially thousands of Utahns who believe in their more moderate platform but don't register so they can still weigh in on Republican primaries. 'We've got tens of thousands of supporters who don't register with us because they want to vote in the Republican primary, and we're fine with that,' Johnson said. He pointed to United Utah candidate Michelle Quist's bid for attorney general last year. In that race, Quist got 7.16% of the vote, equal to 103,831 votes. Republican Derek Brown won with 57.8%, with 838,445 votes. 'So we've got a lot of support out there, but it's never going to show up in registered party members until we get rid of the closed primaries,' Johnson said. Utah independents fell short this election. Will the movement fizzle — or grow? The decision to merge — or not — ultimately falls to party members, however. During the organizing convention on April 26, members will vote on whether to execute a memorandum of understanding. According to the terms of the MOU, a combined interim executive committee would be appointed from existing party leadership to oversee the merger process in accordance with state law. Johnson said United Utah party leadership have 'taken the temperature' of party members' appetite for the merger, and 'everyone that I've talked to is very enthusiastic about it,' though he acknowledged it's somewhat 'bittersweet.' 'There's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into this party to get it up and running and keep it running,' Johnson said. 'So it's kind of like a founder selling his business. It feels a little bittersweet, maybe to some people. But my expectation is that the members will support it, just based on the anecdotal conversations I've had.' Johnson added that Utah's third-party members and candidates are now 'just really excited that we'll have a bigger platform to attract more folks to be able to work with us.' In their efforts to shake up a two-party system, Johnson said over the years Utahns have told him, 'We really like what you're doing, (but) it would be great to be part of a national movement.' 'So for those people who maybe haven't joined us yet, this may be the item that brings them on board officially,' he said. Party leadership encouraged Utahns to get involved ahead of the state organizing convention. 'While voting to approve the merger will be limited to those who were legacy party members prior to the date of this announcement, the public is invited to attend,' the parties said in the news release. 'We welcome all Utahns broadly interested in election reform and the independent political space.' More information about the state organizing convention is available on the Utah Forward Party's website. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah senator announces he's leaving the Republican party, joining Utah Forward Party
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, speaks against HB267, a bill that would ban collective bargaining for public employees, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) This story is breaking and will be updated. A Republican Utah senator says he's had enough of a party that he believes is becoming disconnected from Utahns and straying from true conservative and freedom-focused principles. Standing in the Utah Capitol rotunda, Sen. Dan Thatcher, of West Jordan, told a group of reporters Friday — the final day of the Legislature's 2025 session — that he would be unaffiliating from the Republican Party. Instead, he said he'll be joining the Utah Forward Party — a centrist party that has the slogan 'Not left. Not right. Forward.' Standing alongside a handful of Forward Party leaders, Thatcher said he and his wife had been discussing the change for 'a really, really long time.' But he said the Utah Legislature's 2025 session (which has included legislation focused on facilitating the Trump administration's deportation goals, restricting voting by mail, banning LGBTQ+ flags from schools and public property, and more) was the final straw — or bale of hay, as he put it — that broke the camel's back. 'Yes, this legislative session did accelerate the program, but I think this was always the way,' Thatcher said. 'Because I can't be a part of this anymore.' Thatcher then used a tablet to switch his party affiliation to the Utah Forward Party online, exclaiming 'boop' when he submitted the change. 'Guess what, I don't have to be part of the crazy-making anymore.' Thatcher's announcement comes as he said he's been increasingly frustrated with not just the state of national politics, but also the general direction the Utah Republican Party has been heading. In recent years, he's also become no stranger to bucking his party's line, especially on LGBTQ+ issues. 'I believe that at present, the Forward Utah Party represents a more conservative position than the Utah Republican Party,' Thatcher told Utah News Dispatch. 'Because when they say 'liberty,' they mean liberty according to the dictates of your own conscience, not liberty as dictated by the Legislature.' The day before, on Thursday, Thatcher was one of the few Republicans to vote against two hotly debated bills, one to restrict LGBTQ+ flags in schools and city and county buildings, and one aimed at helping the Trump administration accomplish its deportation goals by repealing a 2019 law that shielded migrants from being deported if they commit a misdemeanor offense. Thatcher argued against the flag ban while wearing a yellow Gadsden flag pin with the 'Don't Tread On Me' logo. 'I feel like we have been doing an awful lot of treading this year,' Thatcher said during Thursday's debate. 'And I think liberty is liberty, even if people want to liberty different than us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX During a contentious debate over the immigration bill, Thatcher said it 'might be the worst bill I've seen this year,' arguing it would disproportionately target legal immigrants, since people without lawful status are already being deported. ICE doesn't need a migrant in the country illegally to serve a one-year sentence to deport them — they can deport them for the lack of documentation alone. Thatcher has repeatedly clashed with fellow Republicans including Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who sponsored HB77, the bill banning pride flags from classrooms and city and county buildings. 'We're all dying with surprise,' McCay said sarcastically while standing outside the Senate chamber on Friday after catching word of Thatcher's party change. Thatcher's divorce from the Republican Party also comes amid rising tensions between him and Utah GOP leadership as he's increasingly bucked the party line. Thatcher lost his longtime committee assignments ahead of the 2025 session. Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, reassigned him from leadership of the Government Operations Interim Committee, and instead assigned Sen. Ron Winterton, R-Roosevelt — who led that committee in place of Thatcher as he recovered from a stroke that he suffered in 2022 — to chair that committee. Thatcher was also reassigned from the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee — which he sat on for 14 years — to instead serve on the Health and Human Services Committee. Senate leaders also recently moved Thatcher's seat near the right side of the chamber, previously with other Republicans, to the far left side, next to the Democrats. Thatcher will no longer caucus with Senate Republicans. Asked who he will caucus with, Thatcher said, 'that is a question for another day.' He was also adamant that he'll continue to serve out his term, which doesn't end until Jan. 1, 2027. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
