I’m proud of my long history within Utah’s Democratic community. Over the past two decades, I led multiple campaigns, served as executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, helped launch the Alliance for a Better Utah and other non-profits and raised millions for progressive causes and candidates. I even met my wife in the Young Democrats of Utah, which I led for three years.
I say all this not to brag or self-aggrandize, but to establish the depth of my commitment to the Democratic ideals which I proudly share with so many in our state, and it is from this position of shared values that I offer this counterpoint to my friends who’ve criticized the choice of party delegates to stand down in the U.S. Senate race last year.
First, the obvious: Utah remains a deeply red state. While we have an active progressive community, we have a history of internal divisions and infighting that has hurt us electorally. Meanwhile, the far right uses Utah as a testing ground for extreme policies. Numerous policy experiments that began in Utah were later adopted regionally and nationally by the far right.
And then there’s Mike Lee himself, who is not only one of the most extreme members of the Senate, but who brought shame to Utah through his participation in Donald Trump’s plot to overturn the 2020 election.
So what are our choices? We can continue to run progressive candidates and lose by 40 points, as Misty Snow did to Lee in 2016. We can support and vote for moderate Republicans, whose “moderation” won’t stop them from being a reliable vote for the GOP, as we’ve seen with the recent passing of vouchers, attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and undermining of abortion access. Or, we can get real, and forge meaningful alliances with alienated political moderates and independents who are looking for an alternative to the extremism on the right.
Utah and our country is full of independently minded people. Let’s build a political bridge to them. Gallup polling indicates that independent voter identification is at historically high levels. In fact, at 41%, independents significantly outnumber Republican (28%) and Democratic (28%) identifiers nationally. In Utah, the nomination and election of Trump in 2016 left many disillusioned and feeling politically homeless. Trump’s continued influence over the GOP and his plan to run for president in 2024 have done little to quell those concerns.
Evan McMullin was among those Republicans disaffected by his one-time party and its embrace of Trump. A conservative and a Mormon, McMullin had already built a trusted base of support among Utahns by the time he launched his independent Senate campaign in 2021. He pledged to caucus with neither party but to collaborate with both to solve problems.
As Democrats, we wouldn’t agree with him on every issue, but we would have a strategic partner who would work with us in good faith and respect the democratic process when so many in Congress do not.
I applaud party leaders Chair Diane Lewis and Director Thom DeSirant, who were willing to run a transparent and open process to see how the delegates of the Utah Democratic Party best thought our community could take on Mike Lee. That’s not a shot at Kael Weston, who sought the party’s nomination for the Senate as a Democrat, whom I respect and worked for in 2020, but an acknowledgment of all the factors at play in the cycle.
Democrats and our broader coalition came up short this time, but we made considerable progress (McMullin gained 30 points over Snow), laid critical groundwork for the future and, in the process, became a national model for coalition-building. I am proud of our efforts.
Not to tap into the growing number of political independents at a time when our democracy itself is at stake would be strategic malpractice by our Democratic Party, whose primary mission is to expand our reach. By forging coalitions, we welcome new voters into the fold and, most importantly, build back the kind of alliances it takes to advance legislation that moves our state and country forward.
Matt Lyon
Matt Lyon is the founding partner of Blueprint Public Affairs, former finance director for McMullin for Utah, and long-time political and nonprofit strategist and fundraiser.
