Utah Democrats' decision to back an independent rather than nominate a member of their own party to take on Republican Mike Lee transformed the state's U.S. Senate race from foregone conclusion to closely watched slugfest.
and more urban. Yet Republicans currently hold both Senate seats and all four congressional seats, occupy every statewide office, and this week expanded their supermajorities in the Legislature.for U.S. Senate herself, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson supported Democrats' decision to back McMullin. She credits it with making Lee sweat. Though McMullin lost, she said, coalescing behind an independent benefited voters by making the race competitive.
“This was a unique moment, and I actually do think we’ve lost an opportunity by not electing Evan to help break up some of the hardened partisanship,” she said, noting that whether backing an independent was a good strategy depended largely on circumstances. Votes remain to be counted, but Lee is on track to defeat McMullin by double digits. That's a narrower margin than his 41 percentage-point victory in 2016 over grocery store clerk Misty Snow but wider than McMullin's team anticipated.
McMullin won 100,000 more votes than Utah Democrats' four congressional candidates did collectively, but preliminary results don't suggest his campaigning against the two-party system energized voters enough to substantially buoy turnout. Independents have won Senate races in Vermont and Maine, yet in deeply red states like Utah, party politics remain entrenched and important to voters.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Watch: Utah Sen. Mike Lee performs Donald Trump impression during Federalist Society speechUtah Sen. Mike Lee, using a nasally voice and hand gestures, imitated former President Donald Trump during a speech at The Federalist Society’s 2022 National Lawyers Convention in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Read more »
Why did Mike Lee defeat Evan McMullin? Robert Gehrke explains what happened in Utah’s U.S. Senate race.An autopsy of Evan McMullin's loss to Sen. Mike Lee, including the big question: Was it all worth it? Robert Gehrke explains that Evan McMullin's independent U.S Senate campaign paved the way for future moderates.
Read more »
Republican politicians and pundits ignored signs election could be closeRepublican politicians and pundits completely misjudged this year’s elections because (to mix metaphors) they spend too much time in their own bubbles, drinking their own bilge water.
Read more »
Veterans Day celebrations, drone show, art walk and more happening this weekend in UtahHead to a drone light show, STEM fest, turkey trot or one of the many Veterans Day celebrations this weekend in Utah. Here's a list of some community events going on:
Read more »
How Utah football fans left a big impression on former Utes safety Marcus Williams.MarcusWilliams, now with the Baltimore Ravens, recalled a time when Utah_Football received a penalty due to its rowdy student section.
Read more »