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Robert Gehrke

Politics Reporter

Robert has spent more than 20 years primarily covering government and politics in Utah and the West, including seven years in Washington, D.C.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Union workers host a signature gathering event to put a referendum on the 2026 ballot to rescind HB267, a law that affects the ability of public workers to organize, at University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 21, 2025.

Referendum to repeal anti-union law meets threshold to qualify for 2026 ballot

By Robert Gehrke | April 28, 2025, 6:46 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Boxes of signatures are checked in at the Salt Lake County Clerk's office as labor leaders attempt to qualify a referendum repealing an anti-union bill, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Utah’s county clerks are analyzing 320,000 referendum signatures. Here’s how they do it.

By Robert Gehrke | April 25, 2025, 6:21 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The fluoride station at the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Facility on Monday, April 21, 2025.

Utah to be first state to ban fluoride from drinking water. Will we regret it?

By Robert Gehrke | April 23, 2025, 3:51 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Labor leaders gather after turning in signatures in their attempt to qualify a referendum repealing an anti-union bill, at the Salt Lake County Clerk's office on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Union referendum live updates: Labor referendum now the largest signature-gathering effort in history

By Robert Gehrke | Emily Anderson Stern | April 29, 2025, 5:23 p.m.

(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Since Trump took office, Mike Lee has been posting more on X — especially with Elon Musk

By Robert Gehrke | Emily Anderson Stern | April 20, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Kevin Murray speaks after labor leaders turned signatures in their attempt to qualify a referendum repealing an anti-union bill, at the Salt Lake County Clerk's office on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Gov. Cox says he never liked Utah Legislature’s anti-union bill

By Robert Gehrke | April 18, 2025, 12:55 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Teacher John Arthur as labor leaders turn in nineteen boxes of signatures (the sixth drop to Salt Lake County) in their attempt to qualify a referendum repealing an anti-union bill, at the Salt Lake County Clerk's office on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

‘You made this possible’: Labor organizers submit twice the signatures needed to put bargaining ban to voters

By Robert Gehrke | April 16, 2025, 10:58 p.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Union workers host a signature gathering event to put a referendum on the 2026 ballot to rescind HB267, a law that affects the ability of public workers to organize, at University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 21, 2025.

Labor leaders make final push to get repeal of anti-union bill on Utahns’ ballots

By Robert Gehrke | April 10, 2025, 12:04 p.m.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jason Love, right, and his son, Peyton, lead pallbearers to a flag ceremony for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City, Monday, April 7, 2025.

‘Her voice lives on’: Mia Love celebrated as a courageous leader and fighter

By Robert Gehrke | April 7, 2025, 8:40 p.m.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A man views the casket during a viewing for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.

Mia Love honored at Utah Capitol ahead of Monday’s funeral. Here’s how to watch the service.

By Jeff Parrott | Robert Gehrke | Chris Samuels | April 7, 2025, 4:16 p.m.

FILE - In this July 22, 2014, file photo, gold bars are stacked in a vault at the United States Mint, in West Point, N.Y. When fear is gripping markets, investors often run toward gold in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Gold on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, jumped to again reach a seven-year high. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

Legislature should overturn Cox’s veto of bill allowing Utah to pay vendors in gold, conservative group says

By Robert Gehrke | April 1, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Representatives in the House Chamber at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.

Is Utah becoming a ‘black hole’ for public records? Here are the anti-transparency laws the Legislature passed.

By Robert Gehrke | March 29, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A collection of film reels at the Sundance Film Festival Awards in Park City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

Did Utah’s conservative politics drive the Sundance Film Festival to the blue state next door?

By Robert Gehrke | Emily Anderson Stern | Addy Baird | March 27, 2025, 9:12 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Mia Love makes a statement at her election night party at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lehi on Wednesday Nov. 7, 2018.

Former Rep. Mia Love will lie in state in public memorial at the Utah Capitol

By Robert Gehrke | March 26, 2025, 6:49 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox delivers his 2025 State of the State address at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.

Utah lawmakers gave governor power to appoint the Supreme Court chief. Cox says, ‘I must respectfully decline.’

By Robert Gehrke | March 26, 2025, 12:09 a.m.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A group protests S.B. 61, a proposed bill that would ban the use of flavored vape products, outside the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Nearly all vapes outlawed in Utah after judge lets ban take effect

By Robert Gehrke | Addy Baird | March 25, 2025, 10:35 p.m.

(Rick Bowmer | AP) Mia Love, center left, poses for a photograph with Mitt Romney and Sen. Mike Lee, right, during a campaign rally for Love, Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Lehi.

Mia Love remembered as ‘a fearless leader’ by fellow Utah politicos

By Robert Gehrke | Jeff Parrott | March 24, 2025, 10:54 p.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Rep. Mia Love addresses delegates at the Utah Republican Nominating Convention in 2018. Love, who was the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress and the first Black member of Congress from Utah, died Sunday, March 23, 2025, at age 49 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

Mia Love, Utah’s history-making former congresswoman, dies at 49

By Robert Gehrke | March 24, 2025, 5:29 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Phil Lyman supporters cheer at the Utah Republican Nominating Convention in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Candidates should have multiple paths to the ballot, Utah voters say

By Robert Gehrke | March 21, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

(Mike Groll | AP) Gold bars are stacked in a vault at the United States Mint, in West Point, N.Y. in 2014.

Utah has invested $60M of taxpayer money in gold — so far. Here’s how the state plans to use it.

By Robert Gehrke | March 18, 2025, 8:15 p.m.

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