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Utah Democratic Party

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Utah Democratic Party
ChairpersonDiane Lewis
Senate Minority LeaderLuz Escamilla
House Minority LeaderAngela Romero
HeadquartersSalt Lake City
Membership (2024)Decrease231,211[1]
IdeologyModern liberalism
National affiliationDemocratic Party
Colors  Blue
Seats in the United States Senate
0 / 2
Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
0 / 4
Seats in the Utah Senate
6 / 29
Seats in the Utah House of Representatives
14 / 75
Website
www.utahdemocrats.org

The Utah Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Utah. The party describes itself as a big tent party.[2]

It has very weak electoral power in the state. It controls none of Utah's statewide or federal elected offices, and minorities in both houses of the Utah state legislature. Democrats last won Utah at the presidential level in 1964.

History

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The Democratic Party originated around 1884 in Utah. In 1896, more than 80 percent of the state vote went toward William Jennings Bryan, a Democrat, and the state elected several Democrats to state and local offices. The Democratic legislature elected Joseph L. Rawlins to serve as a U.S. Senator and William H. King to the House.

Reed Smoot had a political alliance with the Mormons and Gentiles that helped the Republican Party to gain power. The Democrats did not have as much power after 1900. Although, in 1924, Democratic legislator George Dern beat the incumbent Republican Governor Charles Mabey winning on the slogan, "We Want a Dern Good Governor and We Don't Mean Mabey".

In the 1930s, the Democrats had more success. President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected Governor Dern as the Secretary of War. Elbert D. Thomas beat incumbent Reed Smoot in the Senate and served until 1950. Herbert B. Maw was elected to the state senate in 1928. He then became the President of the Utah Senate. They passed bills dealing with unemployment assistance and they created an open primary law.

Maw was elected governor in 1940 and was reelected in 1944, but lost in 1948. In the same year, Reva Beck Bosone was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat. She was the first woman from Utah to be elected to Congress.

In 1958, Frank E. "Ted" Moss was elected to the U.S. Senate and remained there until the 1970s. Cal Rampton, a moderate Democrat, was elected governor in 1964.

The Democratic Party weakened in the 1970s and 1980s after split opinions over the Equal Rights Amendment. They became stronger in the 1990s; Wayne Owens was reelected in the 2nd District and Bill Orton was elected to Congress from the 3rd District. It still remains a clear minority in state politics.[3]

Beverly White, the longest serving woman in the Utah State Legislature, was a member of the Democratic Party.[4]

The party's platform focuses on economic security, equal opportunity, the common good, and American leadership.[2]

State party organization

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Party executive officers

[edit]
Office Office-holder
Chair Diane Lewis
Vice Chair Oscar Mata
Secretary Elizabeth Weight
Treasurer Kathy Long
Executive Director Thom DeSirant
National Committee Member Darlene McDonald
National Committee Member Ross Romero

[5]

State-party caucuses

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The Utah Democratic Party recognizes 15 statewide caucuses. Each caucus promotes issues related to its mission:

  • African American Caucus
  • Disability Caucus
  • Education Caucus
  • Environmental Caucus
  • Healthcare Caucus
  • Hispanic Caucus
  • Labor Caucus
  • LDS Caucus
  • Pacific Islander Caucus
  • Progressive Caucus
  • Rural Caucus
  • Utah Stonewall Democrats
  • Utah Public Employees Caucus
  • Women's Caucus
  • Young Democrats of Utah

Election results

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Presidential

[edit]
Utah Democratic Party presidential election results
Election Presidential Ticket Votes Vote % Electoral votes Result
1896 William Jennings Bryan/Arthur Sewall 64,610 82.70%
3 / 3
 Lost
1900 William Jennings Bryan/Adlai E. Stevenson 45,006 48.30%
0 / 3
 Lost
1904 Alton B. Parker/Henry G. Davis 33,413 32.86%
0 / 3
 Lost
1908 William Jennings Bryan/John W. Kern 42,637 39.19%
0 / 3
 Lost
1912 Woodrow Wilson/Thomas R. Marshall 36,579 32.58%
0 / 4
 Won
1916 Woodrow Wilson/Thomas R. Marshall 84,145 58.78%
4 / 4
 Won
1920 James M. Cox/Franklin D. Roosevelt 56,639 38.84%
0 / 4
 Lost
1924 John W. Davis/Charles W. Bryan 47,001 29.94%
0 / 4
 Lost
1928 Al Smith/Joseph T. Robinson 80,985 45.86%
0 / 4
 Lost
1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt/John N. Garner 116,750 56.52%
4 / 4
 Won
1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt/John N. Garner 150,246 69.34%
4 / 4
 Won
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt/Henry A. Wallace 154,277 62.25%
4 / 4
 Won
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt/Harry S. Truman 150,088 60.44%
4 / 4
 Won
1948 Harry S. Truman/Alben W. Barkley 149,151 53.98%
4 / 4
 Won
1952 Adlai Stevenson/John Sparkman 135,364 41.07%
0 / 4
 Lost
1956 Adlai Stevenson/Estes Kefauver 118,364 35.44%
0 / 4
 Lost
1960 John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson 169,248 45.17%
0 / 4
 Won
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey 219,628 54.86%
4 / 4
 Won
1968 Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie 156,665 37.07%
0 / 4
 Lost
1972 George McGovern/Sargent Shriver 126,284 26.39%
0 / 4
 Lost
1976 Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale 182,110 33.65%
0 / 4
 Won
1980 Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale 124,266 20.57%
0 / 4
 Lost
1984 Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro 155,369 24.68%
0 / 5
 Lost
1988 Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen 297,343 32.05%
0 / 5
 Lost
1992 Bill Clinton/Al Gore 183,429 24.65%
0 / 5
 Won
1996 Bill Clinton/Al Gore 221,633 33.30%
0 / 5
 Won
2000 Al Gore/Joe Lieberman 203,053 26.34%
0 / 5
 Lost
2004 John Kerry/John Edwards 241,199 26.00%
0 / 5
 Lost
2008 Barack Obama/Joe Biden 327,670 34.22%
0 / 5
 Won
2012 Barack Obama/Joe Biden 251,813 24.69%
0 / 6
 Won
2016 Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 310,676 27.46%
0 / 6
 Lost
2020 Joe Biden/Kamala Harris 560,282 37.65%
0 / 6
 Won

Gubernatorial

[edit]
Utah Democratic Party gubernatorial election results
Election Gubernatorial candidate Votes Vote % Result
1895 John Thomas Caine 18,519 44.73% Lost Red XN
1900 James Moyle 37,152 48.02% Lost Red XN
1904 James Moyle 38,047 37.40% Lost Red XN
1908 Jesse Knight 43,266 38.80% Lost Red XN
1912 John Franklin Tolton 36,076 32.36% Lost Red XN
1916 Simon Bamberger 78,502 55.12% Won Green tickY
1920 Thomas N. Taylor 54,913 38.78% Lost Red XN
1924 George Dern 81,308 52.99% Won Green tickY
1928 George Dern 102,953 58.50% Won Green tickY
1932 Henry H. Blood 116,031 56.39% Won Green tickY
1936 Henry H. Blood 109,656 64.59% Won Green tickY
1940 Herbert B. Maw 128,519 52.07% Won Green tickY
1944 Herbert B. Maw 123,907 50.21% Won Green tickY
1948 Herbert B. Maw 123,814 45.01% Lost Red XN
1952 Earl J. Glade 147,188 44.92% Lost Red XN
1956 L.C. "Rennie" Romney 111,297 33.43% Lost Red XN
1960 William Arthur Barlocker 175,855 47.34% Lost Red XN
1964 Cal Rampton 226,956 56.99% Won Green tickY
1968 Cal Rampton 289,283 68.71% Won Green tickY
1972 Cal Rampton 331,998 69.69% Won Green tickY
1976 Scott M. Matheson 280,706 52.02% Won Green tickY
1980 Scott M. Matheson 330,974 55.16% Won Green tickY
1984 Wayne Owens 275,669 43.78% Lost Red XN
1988 Ted Wilson 249,321 38.41% Lost Red XN
1992 Stewart Hanson 117,181 23.24% Lost Red XN
1996 Jim Bradley 156,616 23.31% Lost Red XN
2000 Bill Orton 321,979 42.27% Lost Red XN
2004 Scott Matheson Jr. 380,359 41.35% Lost Red XN
2008 Bob Springmeyer 186,503 19.72% Lost Red XN
2010 (special) Peter Corroon 205,246 31.90% Lost Red XN
2012 Peter Cooke 277,622 27.58% Lost Red XN
2016 Mike Weinholtz 323,349 28.74% Lost Red XN
2020 Christopher Peterson 442,754 30.35% Lost Red XN

County party organization

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Each of Utah's 29 Counties has a party organization, which operates within that county and sends state delegates to the Utah Democratic Party's[6] state convention each year. County delegates are selected at caucus meetings held on the third Tuesday of March in election years (even numbered years) and serve two year terms. In April, county delegates selected at the March caucus meetings gather at their respective county conventions to select state delegates and nominate county candidates or state legislative candidates where the legislative district is entirely within their county.

The Utah Democratic Party's[6] state convention is typically held within the first two weeks of May following these county conventions in election years, but may be held later in odd numbered years. At state conventions state delegates vote to determine the party's nominees in federal races or in state races where the district crosses county lines in what is referred to as a "nominating convention." A candidate must receive at least 60% of the vote at the nominating convention to become the party's nominee. If a candidate falls short of this goal the nominee is determined through a primary. In Utah, Democratic primaries are open to all registered voters, but a registered voter may only participate in one party's primary. The Republican primary is closed to all but registered Republicans (Unaffiliated registered voters may change their affiliation on election day to vote in a Republican primary.)

In odd numbered years county and state delegates gather at county organizing conventions and the state organizing convention respectively to determine their county and state party leadership. Positions up for election at these conventions are party chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. Together these offices make up the executive officers of the respective county parties and the Utah Democratic Party. A simple majority is sufficient to elect someone to each of these positions, though it may take up to two ballots in order to receive a majority of the delegates' votes. All county party chairs and vice chairs are automatically assigned to the Utah Democratic Party's central committee. Counties may have additional representatives in this body depending upon population.

Current elected officials

[edit]

Members of Congress

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U.S. Senate

  • None

Both of Utah's senate seats have been held by Republicans since 1977. Frank Moss was the last Democrat to represent Utah in the United States Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

  • None

Utah has been represented in the U.S. House exclusively by Republicans since 2021. Ben McAdams was the last Democrat to hold a Utah U.S. House seat.

Statewide offices

[edit]
  • None. Attorney General Jan Graham was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Utah, from 1993 to 2001.

State Legislature

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Mayors

[edit]

Notable members

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Governors

[edit]

[8][6]

Senators

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Representatives

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See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics". Utah Secretary of State. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Utah Democratic Party Platform 2020". Utah Democratic Party. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ^ Democratic Party, The University of Utah, http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/d/DEMOCRATIC.html, retrieved 14 December 2011
  4. ^ "Trailblazing former Utah legislator Beverly White, champion of the underdog, dies at age 92". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "Utah Democratic Party Executive Committee". Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Utah Democratic Party Website
  7. ^ "Karen Mayne — Utah Senate". Archived from the original on 2019-02-17.
  8. ^ "Jensen, Moroni L. (Moroni Lundby), 1912-1980 - Social Networks and Archival Context".

Further reading

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[edit]
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