The United Utah Party (UUP) is a centristpolitical party in the United States. It was founded in 2017 and is active only in the state of Utah. The party identifies itself as politically moderate, and was created out of frustration with the Republican and Democratic parties.
Prior to the formation of the United Utah Party, Brigham Young University (BYU) political science professor Richard Davis had considered forming a political party for years. According to Davis, he found people were open to an alternative political party during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[3] He announced the formation of the party on May 22, 2017.[4] Davis became a chairperson for the party. Jim Bennett, the son of former U.S. SenatorBob Bennett, was the party's executive director until he stepped down to run as the UUP's candidate in a special congressional election to replace Jason Chaffetz.[2] Nils Bergeson, a former U.S. foreign service officer, became the party's second executive director in 2018.[5]
On May 26, 2017, Jim Bennett attempted to apply as an affiliated candidate in Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, 2017, but the lieutenant governor's office rejected the application because the elections office had not had 30 days to finish certifying the new party.[6][7] Bennett refused to register as an unaffiliated candidate.[8] Utah's elections office certified the party on June 27, 2017.[9]
Former logo used in the 2017 and 2018 elections.
On June 21, 2017, the UUP filed a lawsuit against Utah state officials to get Bennett's name on the ballot.[10] In court, a Utah state attorney argued that the UUP could have formed earlier to meet the application deadline. A party lawyer argued that only a "soothsayer" could have predicted that Jason Chaffetz would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives.[11] On August 2, 2017, a federal judge in charge of the case ordered Utah election officials to allow Bennett on the ballot under the United Utah Party.[12]
2018 UUP Convention.
In late September 2017, Bennett narrowly qualified to participate in the Utah Debate Commission's selective debate, along with the election's Republican and Democratic candidates, John Curtis and Kathie Allen.[13] The special election was held on November 7, 2017, and Bennett conceded the race hours after the polls closed and initial results showed Curtis winning and Allen getting second place.[14] Bennett got third place with 9.3% of the popular vote.[15]
In February 2018, two UUP candidates announced they would run for the United States House of Representatives: Jan Garbett and Logan, Utah native Eric Eliason, who challenged Republicans Chris Stewart and Rob Bishop respectively.[16] On March 20, 2018, the United Utah Party held caucuses at 19 locations with attendance of just over 900 people, when the party had just over 400 registered members.[17] Garbett later withdrew from the race. Eliason was defeated, receiving 11.6% of the vote as Rob Bishop was reelected to what would become his final term.
In 2023, Chris Stewart resigned as the representative of Utah's 2nd congressional district, prompting a special election on November 21. January Walker, the party's nominee for the 4th district in 2022, won the United Utah Party's nominating convention,[18] placing 5th in the special election with 2,856 votes and 1.81%.
The UUP focuses on 5 political priorities that party members refer to as the "5 E's": Economy, Education, Environment, Equality and Ethical Government.[22] The 5th "E" of Ethical Government includes support for alternative voting methods (such as ranked choice voting and approval voting), more non-partisan elections, and opposing efforts to impose partisan politics on the judicial branch of government.[23] According to former UUP chairman Richard Davis, the party's platform is mostly based on laws and principles, rather than specific policy positions.[3] He told The Salt Lake Tribune that the party supports term limits, stricter campaign-finance laws, efforts to stop gerrymandering, and increased school funding. The party's platform also includes advocating for a healthy immigration system that creates and enforces fair laws. The party believes that public lands can be preserved while still allowing economic development.[3] The UUP supports the right of responsible gun owners to possess firearms.[24]
The UUP supports efforts to stop using taxpayer money in the Utah Republican Party's closed primary elections.[25] On December 1, 2017, the party called for greater transparency regarding sexual harassment allegations on Capitol Hill.[26] In January 2018, the UUP announced support for the "Our Schools Now" initiative, a proposed progressive tax meant to increase funding for education.[27]
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