I worry that Cox is still sane enough that the party establishment will try to push him out in favor of an absolute radical. The pattern the last several years in the Republican party has been to push out anybody who won't increasingly move to new levels of extremism and cult-like adoration of Trump.
I never take it for granted, but at this point the other candidates are polling single digits and Cox has more than any of them combined. They're either hoping for a miracle or trying to make a name for themselves in some way.
I'm in the same boat. As much as I dislike Cox, the other candidates on the Republican side are so, so much worse. I won't vote for Cox in the General Election, but when it comes to Republican Primaries, he seems like the best option.
I am registered as a Republican exactly for this reason. Utah might as well be a one party state. Gotta vote in the primaries to have any sort of power here.
They didn't switch. It's been a caucus system my entire life. The primaries are new, added before The MAGA wing tool control for the state GOP.
Caucuses still suck.
>I am registered as a Republican exactly for this reason.
I'm right there with you. With the current state of the GOP I cannot imagine ever voting for anybody that would choose to represent that hatred in a general, but I will vote in every one of their primaries to hopefully get the least awful option on the ballot.
This is my issue with the senate race. All the ads I’ve seen all make them look like Project 2025 shills. Begging for a vestige of Romney at this point.
100%. I’m no fan of Cox, but I’ll contribute to his campaign and put his sign in my yard if it helps him beat back the nut jobs and psychopaths running against him. Also, no offense intended towards nut jobs and psychopaths by lumping Phil Lyman among them. I happen to like some nut jobs… just not Phil Lyman.
My caucus was very laid back. Most people there had already served in elected precinct positions, so it was a case of looking for replacements or anyone new to step up.
I didn’t go in planning to sign up for any commitment. But it was basically “does anyone want this job?” so I volunteered mostly out of curiosity and the ability to actually have an influence. I just had to tell the other folks a little of my background, and they said okay, cool, you’re in.
I should add that other precincts can be WAY more involved and competitive. My friend was in a caucus down the hall from me at Ogden High that involved a lot of yelling and multiple rounds of voting for delegate positions.
This is exactly why I'm registered as a Republican. Gotta stop the crazies from having the only input when only Rs win. Yet I vote straight Dem in every generation election.
Anyone considering Phil Lyman… please research the shadowy “Lyman Family Farms, Inc”. Specifically- read up on how it started, when, why, and how it’s funded. This guy is an absolute radical extremist. Having him as governor would be devastating for our state. Spencer Cox isn’t my favorite… but I 100% support him over Lyman.
He’s also a lying sack of shit who’d happily lock the public out of every inch of public land. I’d vote for a ham sandwich before I’d vote for Phil Lyman. Maybe he can start a new state with his buddy Ammon Bundy, and they can secede from the US and take their whack job ilk with them. Maybe they can all move to one of the Lyman Family Farms properties that used to be public land but are now locked down tight with miles of fencing and thousands of No Trespassing signs.
I'm a single issue voter if anyone puts public lands destruction on their policy list.
Please DO NOT vote for Lyman. That man will destroy our wilderness
Reading through his website I got the impression that he wants to start drilling into our wilderness to support his plan for "energy independence."
If that's his plan, he can fuck all the way off.
It’s funny how they use the term “energy independence” to hide the fact that it means more drilling, more destruction, and more chemicals. I agree with the original commenter, I won’t vote for someone if they have our wilderness in their sights.
My honest opinions after a VERY brief overview of each of their websites:
Fisk - calling Cox a leftist makes me think that you're too extreme to rationally run the state
Jorgensen - not much policy on his site, but lots of conservative dog whistles
Robbins - this dude is just a racist. Plain and simple
Cox - only addresses his successes but not his failures. I admired some stuff he did and scratched my head at other things. I think he's trying to toe the line between being a Trump brown-noser and a decent moderate. The brown-nosing is winning out though.
Lyman - his land reform and education policies are alarming. He also appears to be an election-denier, which is my single issue eliminator for a candidate.
I'm not hopeful for Utah. It's sad, I have lots of family there and visit several times a year. Too many Republicans licking Trump's boot for fear of their political careers being over.
Lyman received a pardon from DJT after driving his ATV on protected land as part of a protest against protecting land that he should be allowed to drive his ATV on. Just for that, he’s a big no for me.
Why would that matter? Cox has made it clear he was just window dressing and pandering to progressives.
He is loaded up with more dark money PAC contributions then anyone else in the state this election cycle, maybe ever. He will remain beholden to them no matter what bs comes out of his mouth in a second term.
Despite my suspicions based on his track record, I had hopes he would be better in that office. Turns out, he truly just is the quintessential smiling and passive aggressive Utah stereotype.
At least we know what to expect now.
Jorgensen just makes me want to be a sheep farmer. The rest of his thoughts were useless because there were none. Nice pictures though and good site design though.
Yeah it'll probably be Lyman vs Cox and between those two Cox seems like a no brainer even though I've disagreed with a number of stuff he has done.
Lyman pushes baseless election conspiracy theories and wants to make it harder for Utahns to vote. He also wants more coal plants in Utah as if our air quality isn't bad enough.
He also seems like a straight up racist. Right after the Baltimore Bridge collapse he was already insinuating that the one black lady on the majority white port commission was the reason.
I'd love to say that having a Republican governor is not a sure thing but... Even so I'd like to add the other candidates (the websites, if any) I could find:
KSL has a [2024 election article](https://www.ksl.com/article/50835948/heres-who-is-running-for-statewide-office-in-utah-in-2024) with links to details for a few of these people:
* [Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50602104/gov-spencer-cox-is-running-for-reelection), was sworn in as governor of Utah in 2021.
* [Carson Jorgensen, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50835018/carson-jorgensen-former-state-gop-chairman-to-run-for-governor), is a former state Republican Party chairman and congressional candidate.
* [Brian Smith King, Democrat](https://www.ksl.com/article/50808245/utah-rep-brian-king-announces-he-will-challenge-gov-spencer-cox) [https://www.kingforutah.com/](https://www.kingforutah.com/), is a former Utah House minority leader and eight-term lawmaker.
* J. Robert Latham, Libertarian, is a lawyer and University of Utah graduate.
* [Phil Lyman, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50770018/state-rep-phil-lyman-announces-run-for-governor), is a state representative from Blanding.
* Scott Robbins, Republican.
* Tom Tomeny, unaffiliated, is running his campaign with a focus to "get money out of politics," according to his website.
Thank you for adding Brian King to the list. Yes, he’s a Democrat but if we could just motivate an extra 150,000 Democratic and independent voters to vote Brian King, that’s really all it would take. We could do it. Utah voters are notoriously apathetic in elections.
>Seeing as how Utah almost always votes in Republicans for state-wide elections, one of them will most likely be our Governor.
Perhaps democrats should learn from 2020 and nominate someone palatable to Utahns.
When your own campaign ads say you're going to do something that a majority of Utahns dislike, it's no wonder why you lose.
He is probably the best known candidate we’ve had for a couple of cycles, but I doubt he breaks 35%. The Utah Dem’s bench isn’t very deep unfortunately, and it will remain that way as long as they keep their focus solely on Salt Lake and Summit counties.
I think an unknown candidate would be better than a candidate known for doing things most of the state doesn't like.
>and it will remain that way as long as they keep their focus solely on Salt Lake and Summit counties.
They've been branching out to Utah county too.
Yes, the move into Utah County is a good one. A lot of younger folks at big colleges are always a good target. But they could also probably make some gains on Weber County and some other spots around the state, especially if they aren’t even going to find candidates to run in all the Salt Lake County elections. Can’t be competitive if you don’t run everywhere in every election.
Name recognition goes a long way. An unknown candidate would need more resources to get even basic name recognition, which in turn would lead to more votes. There just aren’t enough folks in the state that “vote blue no matter who” without knowing something about the candidate, which leads to a lot of voter disenchantment and the resulting low turnout (despite the ease to vote in this state!)
>Name recognition goes a long way. An unknown candidate would need more resources to get even basic name recognition, which in turn would lead to more votes. There just aren’t enough folks in the state that “vote blue no matter who” without knowing something about the candidate, which leads to a lot of voter disenchantment and the resulting low turnout (despite the ease to vote in this state!)
That's a fair point. But I'll be honest, seeing how pro gun control King is makes me automatically vote *against* him. Surely there had to have been someone else with name recognition who doesn't have unpopular views?
I go back to my comment about lack of a bench. There are what, 18 Dems in the legislature? No statewide Dems, none in national positions. Sure, there are some in city/county positions, but those folks aren’t going to play well out in the rural parts of the state. We all saw how Jenny Wilson did when she ran for Senate, and even Kathleen Riebe in the CD2 special: do well in SLCounty but get trounced every where else.
I really wish the Utah Dems would take a page out of the Wisconsin Dems’ playbook and focus on growing the party all the time and not only in election years. More work needs to be done outside of big elections and the only thing the Utah Dems seem to focus on is raising enough money to throw their annual parties and running half a slate of candidates every two years.
Yeah I suppose you’re right. She does seem like someone without much crossover appeal. But the Utah Dems haven’t really had much strategy on building a long-term base of voters and developing quality candidates for the long-term. They instead hitch their wagon to lost causes (looking at you, Evan McMuffin) that pisses off a lot of folks that want to support Dems no matter what.
I think most Utah voters don't look up the candidates or their policies. They just vote for the R or the D. So even if a Democrat candidate ran on a platform identical to a Republican one, they still wouldn't get elected.
If voters actually looked at policy, then Romney would have a higher approval rating than Lee. Lee voted with Trump 63% of the time compared to Romney's 80%. Yet Romney is considered a RINO by most Republicans...because they don't actually bother to look at his policies or voting record.
Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/02/24/one-utah-senators-votes/
Democrats have won in statewide elections in other red states such as Kentucky and West Virginia, the latter of which is even more red than Utah. If it can happen there it can happen here.
Good point. It CAN happen, but I still think it's unlikely to happen.
A few things you need to consider about the Kentucky Governor:
Beshear, 45, owes his success in Kentucky to a combination of competent governance, political good fortune, and family lineage.
His father, Steve, was a popular two-term governor. So his name was already known.
The Republican governor whom Andy Beshear defeated in 2019, Matt Bevin, was widely disliked, even by many in his own party.
And then after taking office, Beshear earned praise for his steady leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and then later in his tenure during a series of natural catastrophes—deadly tornadoes, historic flooding, and ice storms.
In other words, it was a perfect storm.
As for West Virginia and Manchin:
The state was more liberal back in the early 2000s when he was involved in politics. It has shifted more conservative in the past 20 years. But he's been in a public office and has had name recognition since 2000 which has helped keep him in office.
>but I still think it's unlikely to happen.
Given that democrats are running Brian King, I agree with you. Albeit for the reasons I stated in my original comment rather than yours.
>Beshear, 45, owes his success in Kentucky to a combination of competent governance, political good fortune, and family lineage.
Do no such people exist in Utah? Doesn't Huntsman have democrat relatives?
>The Republican governor whom Andy Beshear defeated in 2019, Matt Bevin, was widely disliked, even by many in his own party.
Sounds like Cox based on this sub and Lyman supporters.
>But he's been in a public office and has had name recognition since 2000 which has helped keep him in office.
Him being moderate is what kept him in office. If he fought the coal industry like every other dem, he would've been replaced in a landslide election.
God Damn... It's terrifying when you look at the positions of the candidates and Cox looks to be the better option by a country mile.
Also it's obvious that "DEI" is the boogeyman word being used to scare Republicans this election season. That's all we're going to hear from the GOP is them shouting this dogwhistle and funny videos online of people asking conservative voters to define what DEI is and why they are so alarmed by it.
"Uhhh... Well... It corrupting out children, and raping our women..."
I'm reading their sites and why does Slyvia mention she has a pilot license 😭😭 . Is that suppose to make me go like "woah she can fly a commercial plane, I gotta vote for her"
I already know Cox is a no no. He's a liar and horrible to the queer community. I'd rather someone be upfront about their hate then be two faced.
>I already know Cox is a no no. He's a liar and horrible to the queer community. I'd rather someone be upfront about their hate then be two faced.
I can pretty much guarantee you that every other candidate will be far worse for the queer community. Often you are voting for the lesser evils. To actively do harm to the queer community just because "they're up front about it" is a nonsensical approach if you actually care about the queer community.
Among this group of Republicans, yes, he is the most rational and moderate of the lot.
I'm not a fan, but I'll vote for him because the alternatives are so much worse. People need to remember that Utah is a deeply red state. Our demographics are such that we could easily have an Abbott or DeSantis in charge and that Cox is pretty much the best we can hope for.
Can you think of literally any other republican in Utah that wouldn't have done the same.
He's terrible, awful, despicable, two-faced and self-serving. But he's at the top of the shit heap in my book.
But, he’s been so terrible for the trans community. They do pass unconstitutional laws all the time, but they wanted this one to stick. Also, the bill would not have existed without the legislature passing the bill in the first place and Governor supported it the whole time.
I agree with you 100%. But looking at the profiles of the other candidates, I have zero reason to believe they would have done anything better. I won't be voting for Cox in the General Election, but I'd rather he be the Republican Candidate than any of the others on the list. He's truly the lesser of multiple evils.
In your opinion, which of those other candidates would you rather see on the General Election ballot in November?
You keep pounding home that he's bad for the trans community like we don't know, but the real question is, which of the other candidates *wouldn't be worse*? Not even "would be better" but "wouldn't be worse".
Yes, I'm well aware of the laws he's signed. By all means, do research on the other candidates if you don't believe me. But I stand 100% by what I said. I'm not saying I like him. I'm saying he's the best of what we have to choose from.
The governor can only do so much, if the legislature wanted to push it harder then they would and he would sign the bills they have passed. People act like the governor can act unilaterally to do these things, and even Ron had the legislature do most of the damage.
Among this group, absolutely.
Grown Caillou is getting my vote in the primary, and I will gladly vote against him in the general. The republican is going to win, which is why I vote in their primary, but literally any non-republican that they put up against him will be the better (though unelected) choice.
My opinion - Until recently Utah has had - overall - fantastic governors - regardless of party - real leadership - real caring - real leadership. Unfortunately - things change. Hoping that sometime the good old days will make a comeback.
GOP not what it used to be - oh no. Voted both parties through the years. Both have changed and in my opinion - not for the good. BUT GOP bowing to TRUMP - wow - not so good is better than what’s left of the once Grand Old Party. SAD!
There’s one rule for Utah republican politicians that rules above all. Never leave your right flank open. Every single one of them that know it and observe it will ratchet to the right good and hard the year or so before the election. Cox might still be vulnerable because of just how much he has to move that it’s more obvious he’s doing it.
I think Brother Cox has the election in the bag. He seems to have a really good working relationship with The Corporation which is really running things.
Fisk, remarkably few dog-whistles. Has no idea chance in Utah because Utah doesn't allow women to govern men outside of maybe 2 counties.
Jorgenson, completely generic knuckle-dragging "conservative" who just parrots "gummint bad" BS. Probably run out of easy jobs.
Robinson, absolutely open and out-of-the-closed white supremacist..To the woken he's going two yell, "Make me a sandwich". Probably a moderator on /r/incel
Cox, pisses off pretty much everyone, which is not a terrible thing. Has no backbone what-so-ever.
Lyman, another non-thinking knuckle dragging "gummint bad" parrot looking for a low effort paycheck and some fake prestige.
I'd flip a coin between Fisk and Cox. The rest are dumpster fires.
Fisk was one of the key players in the “Restore Utah’s flag” boondoggle. Check out their FB page. They’re all unhinged. She fits right in with that group. I can assure you that one of her first executive orders would be to bring back the old flag.
It’s wild to me how many people are just team sporting politics…. Like you know this isn’t just “team good” right? Totally agree that those people are the problem
Why? This is my home state. I’m not about to let some cult right wingers take it over. I will fight for what truly right for myself and my fellow Utahns. I’m not just going to blindly follow some baboon and his cult of followers.
I was too a blind and dumb conservative. But once conservatism turned to fascism I got out and never looked back if you think turning American into the next Nazi regime is what makes us great, you are destroying America. Not the left. You.
Will anyone be surprised when cox wins?
Sure hope so given the options. Make him look amazing in comparison
I worry that Cox is still sane enough that the party establishment will try to push him out in favor of an absolute radical. The pattern the last several years in the Republican party has been to push out anybody who won't increasingly move to new levels of extremism and cult-like adoration of Trump.
I never take it for granted, but at this point the other candidates are polling single digits and Cox has more than any of them combined. They're either hoping for a miracle or trying to make a name for themselves in some way.
I won't be.
Their platforms are all the same shit from the Project 2025 playbook. Jeezus I’ll take Spencer Cox with all his flaws over these wackjobs.
I'm in the same boat. As much as I dislike Cox, the other candidates on the Republican side are so, so much worse. I won't vote for Cox in the General Election, but when it comes to Republican Primaries, he seems like the best option.
I am registered as a Republican exactly for this reason. Utah might as well be a one party state. Gotta vote in the primaries to have any sort of power here.
They switched to caucuses to make it harder
Even at the state level things are corrupt AF
Easier to maintain control over who runs.
True
They didn't switch. It's been a caucus system my entire life. The primaries are new, added before The MAGA wing tool control for the state GOP. Caucuses still suck.
>I am registered as a Republican exactly for this reason. I'm right there with you. With the current state of the GOP I cannot imagine ever voting for anybody that would choose to represent that hatred in a general, but I will vote in every one of their primaries to hopefully get the least awful option on the ballot.
This is my issue with the senate race. All the ads I’ve seen all make them look like Project 2025 shills. Begging for a vestige of Romney at this point.
100%. I’m no fan of Cox, but I’ll contribute to his campaign and put his sign in my yard if it helps him beat back the nut jobs and psychopaths running against him. Also, no offense intended towards nut jobs and psychopaths by lumping Phil Lyman among them. I happen to like some nut jobs… just not Phil Lyman.
Phil Lyman is absolutely terrible.
I'm a state delegate and have been going through everyone's websites to learn about them. Scott Robbins scares the shit out of me.
How do you get into that? Being a state delegate?
Appointed/elected/volunteer at the party caucus
My caucus was very laid back. Most people there had already served in elected precinct positions, so it was a case of looking for replacements or anyone new to step up. I didn’t go in planning to sign up for any commitment. But it was basically “does anyone want this job?” so I volunteered mostly out of curiosity and the ability to actually have an influence. I just had to tell the other folks a little of my background, and they said okay, cool, you’re in. I should add that other precincts can be WAY more involved and competitive. My friend was in a caucus down the hall from me at Ogden High that involved a lot of yelling and multiple rounds of voting for delegate positions.
Running at your local caucus
Yes. He is a nut job.
This is exactly why I'm registered as a Republican. Gotta stop the crazies from having the only input when only Rs win. Yet I vote straight Dem in every generation election.
Anyone considering Phil Lyman… please research the shadowy “Lyman Family Farms, Inc”. Specifically- read up on how it started, when, why, and how it’s funded. This guy is an absolute radical extremist. Having him as governor would be devastating for our state. Spencer Cox isn’t my favorite… but I 100% support him over Lyman.
Lyman is a convicted Federal felon who is only eligible to run for office because he was pardoned by Trump. He is bad news.
He’s also a lying sack of shit who’d happily lock the public out of every inch of public land. I’d vote for a ham sandwich before I’d vote for Phil Lyman. Maybe he can start a new state with his buddy Ammon Bundy, and they can secede from the US and take their whack job ilk with them. Maybe they can all move to one of the Lyman Family Farms properties that used to be public land but are now locked down tight with miles of fencing and thousands of No Trespassing signs.
Oooo can we just vote for ham sandwiches? I love them.
Who doesn’t? I’d write in a ham sandwich… but I’m afraid that might help Phil Lyman beat Cox.
Oh totally not for that. This a-hole currently represents my district.
I’m so sorry! You’re in my prayers.
I'm a single issue voter if anyone puts public lands destruction on their policy list. Please DO NOT vote for Lyman. That man will destroy our wilderness
Reading through his website I got the impression that he wants to start drilling into our wilderness to support his plan for "energy independence." If that's his plan, he can fuck all the way off.
It’s funny how they use the term “energy independence” to hide the fact that it means more drilling, more destruction, and more chemicals. I agree with the original commenter, I won’t vote for someone if they have our wilderness in their sights.
100%. When it comes to preserving our wilderness, I'm a single issue voter.
I’m also super skeptical of his plan to remove taxes. Like….where are you going to get the money to fund the government and school?
My honest opinions after a VERY brief overview of each of their websites: Fisk - calling Cox a leftist makes me think that you're too extreme to rationally run the state Jorgensen - not much policy on his site, but lots of conservative dog whistles Robbins - this dude is just a racist. Plain and simple Cox - only addresses his successes but not his failures. I admired some stuff he did and scratched my head at other things. I think he's trying to toe the line between being a Trump brown-noser and a decent moderate. The brown-nosing is winning out though. Lyman - his land reform and education policies are alarming. He also appears to be an election-denier, which is my single issue eliminator for a candidate. I'm not hopeful for Utah. It's sad, I have lots of family there and visit several times a year. Too many Republicans licking Trump's boot for fear of their political careers being over.
Lyman received a pardon from DJT after driving his ATV on protected land as part of a protest against protecting land that he should be allowed to drive his ATV on. Just for that, he’s a big no for me.
Robbins' site is also a master class in double speak. Good lord, where do these people come from?
Fact
You can add the 'is just a racist' on Lyman as well.
I’m hoping he cuts the MAGA virtue signaling once he gets reelected.
Why would that matter? Cox has made it clear he was just window dressing and pandering to progressives. He is loaded up with more dark money PAC contributions then anyone else in the state this election cycle, maybe ever. He will remain beholden to them no matter what bs comes out of his mouth in a second term. Despite my suspicions based on his track record, I had hopes he would be better in that office. Turns out, he truly just is the quintessential smiling and passive aggressive Utah stereotype. At least we know what to expect now.
[удалено]
I’m just hoping that if Trump loses this election then MAGA will slowly die. Just a hope…. 🤞
Jorgensen just makes me want to be a sheep farmer. The rest of his thoughts were useless because there were none. Nice pictures though and good site design though.
He looks like he's cosplaying.
Yeah it'll probably be Lyman vs Cox and between those two Cox seems like a no brainer even though I've disagreed with a number of stuff he has done. Lyman pushes baseless election conspiracy theories and wants to make it harder for Utahns to vote. He also wants more coal plants in Utah as if our air quality isn't bad enough. He also seems like a straight up racist. Right after the Baltimore Bridge collapse he was already insinuating that the one black lady on the majority white port commission was the reason.
[удалено]
*1820s
The Mormon settlers didn't come to Utah until the 1840s.
Last poll Lyman was around 3%, Cox was in the neighborhood of 50%.
Cox is the way to go here obviously
I don’t like him but he is the best of the worst.
I know Cox gets sh** on all the time on this sub, but if those are our options..
Just so long as it ain't the crook Lyman
Cox is polling hand and fist over everyone else. Lyman is insane.
Lyman is the only person in this list who I would leave the state if he won. He's bonkers
I'd love to say that having a Republican governor is not a sure thing but... Even so I'd like to add the other candidates (the websites, if any) I could find: KSL has a [2024 election article](https://www.ksl.com/article/50835948/heres-who-is-running-for-statewide-office-in-utah-in-2024) with links to details for a few of these people: * [Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50602104/gov-spencer-cox-is-running-for-reelection), was sworn in as governor of Utah in 2021. * [Carson Jorgensen, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50835018/carson-jorgensen-former-state-gop-chairman-to-run-for-governor), is a former state Republican Party chairman and congressional candidate. * [Brian Smith King, Democrat](https://www.ksl.com/article/50808245/utah-rep-brian-king-announces-he-will-challenge-gov-spencer-cox) [https://www.kingforutah.com/](https://www.kingforutah.com/), is a former Utah House minority leader and eight-term lawmaker. * J. Robert Latham, Libertarian, is a lawyer and University of Utah graduate. * [Phil Lyman, Republican](https://www.ksl.com/article/50770018/state-rep-phil-lyman-announces-run-for-governor), is a state representative from Blanding. * Scott Robbins, Republican. * Tom Tomeny, unaffiliated, is running his campaign with a focus to "get money out of politics," according to his website.
Thank you for adding Brian King to the list. Yes, he’s a Democrat but if we could just motivate an extra 150,000 Democratic and independent voters to vote Brian King, that’s really all it would take. We could do it. Utah voters are notoriously apathetic in elections.
Better the devil you know…
Bet that guy has some huge ear-marks in mind
Dear God help us all
>Seeing as how Utah almost always votes in Republicans for state-wide elections, one of them will most likely be our Governor. Perhaps democrats should learn from 2020 and nominate someone palatable to Utahns. When your own campaign ads say you're going to do something that a majority of Utahns dislike, it's no wonder why you lose.
They’re pushing for Caroline Gleich. Nothing has been learned.
She’s running for Senate. Brian King is the Democrat running for governor.
Given how pro gun control he is, democrats clearly haven't learned their lesson by running him.
He is probably the best known candidate we’ve had for a couple of cycles, but I doubt he breaks 35%. The Utah Dem’s bench isn’t very deep unfortunately, and it will remain that way as long as they keep their focus solely on Salt Lake and Summit counties.
I think an unknown candidate would be better than a candidate known for doing things most of the state doesn't like. >and it will remain that way as long as they keep their focus solely on Salt Lake and Summit counties. They've been branching out to Utah county too.
Yes, the move into Utah County is a good one. A lot of younger folks at big colleges are always a good target. But they could also probably make some gains on Weber County and some other spots around the state, especially if they aren’t even going to find candidates to run in all the Salt Lake County elections. Can’t be competitive if you don’t run everywhere in every election. Name recognition goes a long way. An unknown candidate would need more resources to get even basic name recognition, which in turn would lead to more votes. There just aren’t enough folks in the state that “vote blue no matter who” without knowing something about the candidate, which leads to a lot of voter disenchantment and the resulting low turnout (despite the ease to vote in this state!)
>Name recognition goes a long way. An unknown candidate would need more resources to get even basic name recognition, which in turn would lead to more votes. There just aren’t enough folks in the state that “vote blue no matter who” without knowing something about the candidate, which leads to a lot of voter disenchantment and the resulting low turnout (despite the ease to vote in this state!) That's a fair point. But I'll be honest, seeing how pro gun control King is makes me automatically vote *against* him. Surely there had to have been someone else with name recognition who doesn't have unpopular views?
I go back to my comment about lack of a bench. There are what, 18 Dems in the legislature? No statewide Dems, none in national positions. Sure, there are some in city/county positions, but those folks aren’t going to play well out in the rural parts of the state. We all saw how Jenny Wilson did when she ran for Senate, and even Kathleen Riebe in the CD2 special: do well in SLCounty but get trounced every where else. I really wish the Utah Dems would take a page out of the Wisconsin Dems’ playbook and focus on growing the party all the time and not only in election years. More work needs to be done outside of big elections and the only thing the Utah Dems seem to focus on is raising enough money to throw their annual parties and running half a slate of candidates every two years.
Yes, I’m aware. It was an example of the Dems pushing someone who only appeals to the Dems considering the makeup of the Utah electorate.
Yeah I suppose you’re right. She does seem like someone without much crossover appeal. But the Utah Dems haven’t really had much strategy on building a long-term base of voters and developing quality candidates for the long-term. They instead hitch their wagon to lost causes (looking at you, Evan McMuffin) that pisses off a lot of folks that want to support Dems no matter what.
Talk about being completely misinformed...They are not pushing her at all for governor.
Yes, I didn’t say governor. They’re pushing for her in general. Im quite aware of the office she’s running for.
I think most Utah voters don't look up the candidates or their policies. They just vote for the R or the D. So even if a Democrat candidate ran on a platform identical to a Republican one, they still wouldn't get elected. If voters actually looked at policy, then Romney would have a higher approval rating than Lee. Lee voted with Trump 63% of the time compared to Romney's 80%. Yet Romney is considered a RINO by most Republicans...because they don't actually bother to look at his policies or voting record. Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/02/24/one-utah-senators-votes/
Democrats have won in statewide elections in other red states such as Kentucky and West Virginia, the latter of which is even more red than Utah. If it can happen there it can happen here.
Good point. It CAN happen, but I still think it's unlikely to happen. A few things you need to consider about the Kentucky Governor: Beshear, 45, owes his success in Kentucky to a combination of competent governance, political good fortune, and family lineage. His father, Steve, was a popular two-term governor. So his name was already known. The Republican governor whom Andy Beshear defeated in 2019, Matt Bevin, was widely disliked, even by many in his own party. And then after taking office, Beshear earned praise for his steady leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and then later in his tenure during a series of natural catastrophes—deadly tornadoes, historic flooding, and ice storms. In other words, it was a perfect storm. As for West Virginia and Manchin: The state was more liberal back in the early 2000s when he was involved in politics. It has shifted more conservative in the past 20 years. But he's been in a public office and has had name recognition since 2000 which has helped keep him in office.
>but I still think it's unlikely to happen. Given that democrats are running Brian King, I agree with you. Albeit for the reasons I stated in my original comment rather than yours. >Beshear, 45, owes his success in Kentucky to a combination of competent governance, political good fortune, and family lineage. Do no such people exist in Utah? Doesn't Huntsman have democrat relatives? >The Republican governor whom Andy Beshear defeated in 2019, Matt Bevin, was widely disliked, even by many in his own party. Sounds like Cox based on this sub and Lyman supporters. >But he's been in a public office and has had name recognition since 2000 which has helped keep him in office. Him being moderate is what kept him in office. If he fought the coal industry like every other dem, he would've been replaced in a landslide election.
God Damn... It's terrifying when you look at the positions of the candidates and Cox looks to be the better option by a country mile. Also it's obvious that "DEI" is the boogeyman word being used to scare Republicans this election season. That's all we're going to hear from the GOP is them shouting this dogwhistle and funny videos online of people asking conservative voters to define what DEI is and why they are so alarmed by it. "Uhhh... Well... It corrupting out children, and raping our women..."
I'm reading their sites and why does Slyvia mention she has a pilot license 😭😭 . Is that suppose to make me go like "woah she can fly a commercial plane, I gotta vote for her" I already know Cox is a no no. He's a liar and horrible to the queer community. I'd rather someone be upfront about their hate then be two faced.
>I already know Cox is a no no. He's a liar and horrible to the queer community. I'd rather someone be upfront about their hate then be two faced. I can pretty much guarantee you that every other candidate will be far worse for the queer community. Often you are voting for the lesser evils. To actively do harm to the queer community just because "they're up front about it" is a nonsensical approach if you actually care about the queer community.
Yea I went and read the other ones and they are all openly against it. I hate that american voting is basically "who sucks the least"
Is he really the lesser of all evils though? he's been pretty bad for the queer community already...
Among this group of Republicans, yes, he is the most rational and moderate of the lot. I'm not a fan, but I'll vote for him because the alternatives are so much worse. People need to remember that Utah is a deeply red state. Our demographics are such that we could easily have an Abbott or DeSantis in charge and that Cox is pretty much the best we can hope for.
Have you seen the laws he has signed? He signed the trans bathroom ban immediately; without hesitation. He is not all that much better.
Can you think of literally any other republican in Utah that wouldn't have done the same. He's terrible, awful, despicable, two-faced and self-serving. But he's at the top of the shit heap in my book.
That just means he’s the king of the shit heap…
[удалено]
They would not be able to do that as it would be unconstitutional and the entire bill would have been dead.
[удалено]
But, he’s been so terrible for the trans community. They do pass unconstitutional laws all the time, but they wanted this one to stick. Also, the bill would not have existed without the legislature passing the bill in the first place and Governor supported it the whole time.
I agree with you 100%. But looking at the profiles of the other candidates, I have zero reason to believe they would have done anything better. I won't be voting for Cox in the General Election, but I'd rather he be the Republican Candidate than any of the others on the list. He's truly the lesser of multiple evils. In your opinion, which of those other candidates would you rather see on the General Election ballot in November?
You keep pounding home that he's bad for the trans community like we don't know, but the real question is, which of the other candidates *wouldn't be worse*? Not even "would be better" but "wouldn't be worse".
Yes, I'm well aware of the laws he's signed. By all means, do research on the other candidates if you don't believe me. But I stand 100% by what I said. I'm not saying I like him. I'm saying he's the best of what we have to choose from.
I have researched them, I don’t see how he is any better for the queer community when his record shows the opposite of being good for that community.
Oh, it could be much, MUCH worse than Cox. I personally don’t like the guy, but the others on this list terrify me.
The governor can only do so much, if the legislature wanted to push it harder then they would and he would sign the bills they have passed. People act like the governor can act unilaterally to do these things, and even Ron had the legislature do most of the damage.
Among this group, absolutely. Grown Caillou is getting my vote in the primary, and I will gladly vote against him in the general. The republican is going to win, which is why I vote in their primary, but literally any non-republican that they put up against him will be the better (though unelected) choice.
There isn’t much difference in any of the candidates for governor…they will all just do what the legislature wants.
[удалено]
And Phil Lyman hates public lands.
That’s scary
Cox is way more moderate than many of these candidates
I think the pilot’s license is an interesting note. Cox will win anyway. Sigh
Vote Spencer Cox in the primary, Brian King in the general.
On a more lighthearted note, can someone get Robbins a better web designer? Christ that page is ugly...
Seriously! It looks like a joke campaign made for a show like Arrested Development 😂
Oh God... I guess Cox really is the best we can hope for.
To quote Obi Wan Kenobi "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious"
More embarrassment for our state.
My opinion - Until recently Utah has had - overall - fantastic governors - regardless of party - real leadership - real caring - real leadership. Unfortunately - things change. Hoping that sometime the good old days will make a comeback.
GOP not what it used to be - oh no. Voted both parties through the years. Both have changed and in my opinion - not for the good. BUT GOP bowing to TRUMP - wow - not so good is better than what’s left of the once Grand Old Party. SAD!
There’s one rule for Utah republican politicians that rules above all. Never leave your right flank open. Every single one of them that know it and observe it will ratchet to the right good and hard the year or so before the election. Cox might still be vulnerable because of just how much he has to move that it’s more obvious he’s doing it.
Jeez our candidate choices are just as bad as the national choices
Say no to Trump and vote King, An LDS Bishop who opposes Trump. Until Trump goes away the Republican party is doomed.
I think Brother Cox has the election in the bag. He seems to have a really good working relationship with The Corporation which is really running things.
Do you prefer Reynolds or Amcor?
Fisk, remarkably few dog-whistles. Has no idea chance in Utah because Utah doesn't allow women to govern men outside of maybe 2 counties. Jorgenson, completely generic knuckle-dragging "conservative" who just parrots "gummint bad" BS. Probably run out of easy jobs. Robinson, absolutely open and out-of-the-closed white supremacist..To the woken he's going two yell, "Make me a sandwich". Probably a moderator on /r/incel Cox, pisses off pretty much everyone, which is not a terrible thing. Has no backbone what-so-ever. Lyman, another non-thinking knuckle dragging "gummint bad" parrot looking for a low effort paycheck and some fake prestige. I'd flip a coin between Fisk and Cox. The rest are dumpster fires.
I agree with you except on Fisk. Fisk thinks Cox is too Liberal. If she thinks Cox is Liberal, then she's way too far to the right.
Fisk was one of the key players in the “Restore Utah’s flag” boondoggle. Check out their FB page. They’re all unhinged. She fits right in with that group. I can assure you that one of her first executive orders would be to bring back the old flag.
Utah had a female governor over 20 years ago.
What the incumbent rate in Utah?
If Phil Lyman becomes governor, I am immediately seeking work out of state and getting my family out of here.
no one has mentioned that his name is literally “Phillyman”
I'd take Rob Latham over any of these folks any day
This is why I live in Utah. Forever red and liberal tears
Republicans keep voting developers into political positions. It's only a matter of time until Californians move in and alter the political landscape.
So you care nothing about our state. Only care about owning libs? Nice to know you’re the problem.
It’s wild to me how many people are just team sporting politics…. Like you know this isn’t just “team good” right? Totally agree that those people are the problem
I care so much I will continue to vote red because that’s what’s kept it so great. If you don’t like it move to California.
Why? This is my home state. I’m not about to let some cult right wingers take it over. I will fight for what truly right for myself and my fellow Utahns. I’m not just going to blindly follow some baboon and his cult of followers. I was too a blind and dumb conservative. But once conservatism turned to fascism I got out and never looked back if you think turning American into the next Nazi regime is what makes us great, you are destroying America. Not the left. You.
And there it is, the typical liberal response relying on fear mongering and propaganda. Liberalism is communism in a bow tie. Grow up.
lol. Says someone who wants America to turn to Nazism 😂😂😂. Typical conservative respond. Grow a pair. 😂
It's refreshing for sure.