Utah Democratic Party

American political party in Utah

Utah Democratic Party

Senate Minority Leader| Luz Escamilla
House Minority Leader| Angela Romero
Headquarters| Salt Lake City
Membership (2023)| 268,095[1]
Ideology| Progressivism
Modern liberalism
Political position| Big tent
National affiliation| Democratic Party
Colors|  Blue
Seats in the United States Senate|

0 / 2

Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives|

0 / 4

Seats in the Utah Senate|

6 / 29

Seats in the Utah House of Representatives|

14 / 75

Website
www.utahdemocrats.org

* Politics of Utah
* Elections

The Utah Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Utah. Its platform focuses on economic security, equal opportunity, the common good, and American leadership.[2] The party also describes itself as a big tent party.[2]

## History[edit]

The Democratic Party originated around 1884 in Utah. In 1896, more than 80 percent of the state vote went toward William Jennings Bryan, a Democrat, and the state elected several Democrats to state and local offices. The Democratic legislature elected Joseph L. Rawlins to serve as a U.S. Senator and William H. King to the House.

Reed Smoot had a political alliance with the Mormons and Gentiles that helped the Republican Party to gain power. The Democrats did not have as much power after 1900. Although, in 1924, Democratic legislator George Dern beat the incumbent Republican Governor Charles Mabey winning on the slogan, "We Want a Dern Good Governor and We Don't Mean Mabey".

In the 1930s, the Democrats had more success. President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected Governor Dern as the Secretary of War. Elbert D. Thomas beat incumbent Reed Smoot in the Senate and served until 1950. Herbert B. Maw was elected to the state senate in 1928. He then became the President of the Utah Senate. They passed bills dealing with unemployment assistance and they created an open primary law.

Maw was elected governor in 1940 and was reelected in 1944, but lost in 1948. In the same year, Reva Beck Bosone was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat. She was the first woman from Utah to be elected to Congress.

In 1958, Frank E. "Ted" Moss was elected to the U.S. Senate and remained there until the 1970s. Cal Rampton, a moderate Democrat, was elected governor in 1964.

The Democratic Party weakened in the 1970s and 1980s after split opinions over the Equal Rights Amendment. They became stronger in the 1990s; Wayne Owens was reelected in the 2nd District and Bill Orton was elected to Congress from the 3rd District. It still remains a clear minority in state politics.[3]

Beverly White, the longest serving woman in the Utah State Legislature, was a member of the Democratic Party.[4]

## State party organization[edit]

### Party executive officers[edit]

Office | Office-holder

|

Chair | Diane Lewis
Vice Chair | Oscar Mata
Secretary | Elizabeth Weight
Treasurer | Kathy Long
Executive Director | Thom DeSirant
National Committee Member | Darlene McDonald
National Committee Member | Ross Romero

[5]

### State-party caucuses[edit]

The Utah Democratic Party recognizes 15 statewide caucuses. Each caucus promotes issues related to its mission:

* African American Caucus
* Disability Caucus
* Education Caucus
* Environmental Caucus
* Healthcare Caucus
* Hispanic Caucus
* Labor Caucus
* LDS Caucus
* Pacific Islander Caucus
* Progressive Caucus
* Rural Caucus
* Utah Stonewall Democrats
* Utah Public Employees Caucus
* Women's Caucus
* Young Democrats of Utah

## Election results[edit]

### Presidential[edit]

Utah Democratic Party presidential election results  Election  | Presidential Ticket  | Votes  | Vote %  | Electoral votes  | Result

|
|
|
|
|

1896 | William Jennings Bryan/Arthur Sewall | 64,610  | 82.70%  |

3 / 3

| Lost
1900 | William Jennings Bryan/Adlai E. Stevenson | 45,006  | 48.30%  |

0 / 3

| Lost
1904 | Alton B. Parker/Henry G. Davis | 33,413  | 32.86%  |

0 / 3

| Lost
1908 | William Jennings Bryan/John W. Kern | 42,637  | 39.19%  |

0 / 3

| Lost
1912 | Woodrow Wilson/Thomas R. Marshall | 36,579  | 32.58%  |

0 / 4

| Won
1916 | Woodrow Wilson/Thomas R. Marshall | 84,145  | 58.78%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1920 | James M. Cox/Franklin D. Roosevelt | 56,639  | 38.84%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1924 | John W. Davis/Charles W. Bryan | 47,001  | 29.94%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1928 | Al Smith/Joseph T. Robinson | 80,985  | 45.86%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt/John N. Garner | 116,750  | 56.52%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt/John N. Garner | 150,246  | 69.34%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt/Henry A. Wallace | 154,277  | 62.25%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt/Harry S. Truman | 150,088  | 60.44%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1948 | Harry S. Truman/Alben W. Barkley | 149,151  | 53.98%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1952 | Adlai Stevenson/John Sparkman | 135,364  | 41.07%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1956 | Adlai Stevenson/Estes Kefauver | 118,364  | 35.44%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1960 | John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson | 169,248  | 45.17%  |

0 / 4

| Won
1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey | 219,628  | 54.86%  |

4 / 4

| Won
1968 | Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie | 156,665  | 37.07%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1972 | George McGovern/Sargent Shriver | 126,284  | 26.39%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1976 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 182,110  | 33.65%  |

0 / 4

| Won
1980 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 124,266  | 20.57%  |

0 / 4

| Lost
1984 | Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro | 155,369  | 24.68%  |

0 / 5

| Lost
1988 | Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen | 297,343  | 32.05%  |

0 / 5

| Lost
1992 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 183,429  | 24.65%  |

0 / 5

| Won
1996 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 221,633  | 33.30%  |

0 / 5

| Won
2000 | Al Gore/Joe Lieberman | 203,053  | 26.34%  |

0 / 5

| Lost
2004 | John Kerry/John Edwards | 241,199  | 26.00%  |

0 / 5

| Lost
2008 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 327,670  | 34.22%  |

0 / 5

| Won
2012 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 251,813  | 24.69%  |

0 / 6

| Won
2016 | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 310,676  | 27.46%  |

0 / 6

| Lost
2020 | Joe Biden/Kamala Harris | 560,282  | 37.65%  |

0 / 6

| Won

### Gubernatorial[edit]

Utah Democratic Party gubernatorial election results  Election  | Gubernatorial candidate  | Votes  | Vote %  | Result

|
|
|
|

1895 | John Thomas Caine | 18,519  | 44.73%  | Lost N
1900 | James Moyle | 37,152  | 48.02%  | Lost N
1904 | James Moyle | 38,047  | 37.40%  | Lost N
1908 | Jesse Knight | 43,266  | 38.80%  | Lost N
1912 | John Franklin Tolton  | 36,076  | 32.36%  | Lost N
1916 | Simon Bamberger | 78,502  | 55.12%  | Won Y
1920 | Thomas N. Taylor | 54,913  | 38.78%  | Lost N
1924 | George Dern | 81,308  | 52.99%  | Won Y
1928 | George Dern | 102,953  | 58.50%  | Won Y
1932 | Henry H. Blood | 116,031  | 56.39%  | Won Y
1936 | Henry H. Blood | 109,656  | 64.59%  | Won Y
1940 | Herbert B. Maw | 128,519  | 52.07%  | Won Y
1944 | Herbert B. Maw | 123,907  | 50.21%  | Won Y
1948 | Herbert B. Maw | 123,814  | 45.01%  | Lost N
1952 | Earl J. Glade | 147,188  | 44.92%  | Lost N
1956 | L.C. "Rennie" Romney  | 111,297  | 33.43%  | Lost N
1960 | William Arthur Barlocker  | 175,855  | 47.34%  | Lost N
1964 | Cal Rampton | 226,956  | 56.99%  | Won Y
1968 | Cal Rampton | 289,283  | 68.71%  | Won Y
1972 | Cal Rampton | 331,998  | 69.69%  | Won Y
1976 | Scott M. Matheson | 280,706  | 52.02%  | Won Y
1980 | Scott M. Matheson | 330,974  | 55.16%  | Won Y
1984 | Wayne Owens | 275,669  | 43.78%  | Lost N
1988 | Ted Wilson | 249,321  | 38.41%  | Lost N
1992 | Stewart Hanson  | 117,181  | 23.24%  | Lost N
1996 | Jim Bradley  | 156,616  | 23.31%  | Lost N
2000 | Bill Orton | 321,979  | 42.27%  | Lost N
2004 | Scott Matheson Jr. | 380,359  | 41.35%  | Lost N
2008 | Bob Springmeyer  | 186,503  | 19.72%  | Lost N
2010 (special) | Peter Corroon | 205,246  | 31.90%  | Lost N
2012 | Peter Cooke | 277,622  | 27.58%  | Lost N
2016 | Mike Weinholtz  | 323,349  | 28.74%  | Lost N
2020 | Christopher Peterson | 442,754  | 30.35%  | Lost N

## County party organization[edit]

Each of Utah's 29 Counties has a party organization, which operates within that county and sends state delegates to the Utah Democratic Party's[6] state convention each year. County delegates are selected at caucus meetings held on the third Tuesday of March in election years (even numbered years) and serve two year terms. In April, county delegates selected at the March caucus meetings gather at their respective county conventions to select state delegates and nominate county candidates or state legislative candidates where the legislative district is entirely within their county.

The Utah Democratic Party's[6] state convention is typically held within the first two weeks of May following these county conventions in election years, but may be held later in odd numbered years. At state conventions state delegates vote to determine the party's nominees in federal races or in state races where the district crosses county lines in what is referred to as a "nominating convention." A candidate must receive at least 60% of the vote at the nominating convention to become the party's nominee. If a candidate falls short of this goal the nominee is determined through a primary. In Utah, Democratic primaries are open to all registered voters, but a registered voter may only participate in one party's primary. The Republican primary is closed to all but registered Republicans (Unaffiliated registered voters may change their affiliation on election day to vote in a Republican primary.)

In odd numbered years county and state delegates gather at county organizing conventions and the state organizing convention respectively to determine their county and state party leadership. Positions up for election at these conventions are party chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. Together these offices make up the executive officers of the respective county parties and the Utah Democratic Party. A simple majority is sufficient to elect someone to each of these positions, though it may take up to two ballots in order to receive a majority of the delegates' votes. All county party chairs and vice chairs are automatically assigned to the Utah Democratic Party's central committee. Counties may have additional representatives in this body depending upon population.

## Current elected officials[edit]

### Members of Congress[edit]

U.S. Senate

* None

Both of Utah's senate seats have been held by Republicans since 1977. Frank Moss was the last Democrat to represent Utah in the United States Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

* None

All of Utah's congressional districts have been held by Republicans since 2021. Ben McAdams was the last democrat to represent Utah in the United States House of Representatives.

### Statewide offices[edit]

* None

### State Legislature[edit]

* Senate Minority Leader: Karen Mayne[7]
* Senate Minority Whip: Luz Escamilla
* Assistant Minority Leader: Jani Iwamoto
* House Minority Leader: Brian King
* House Minority Whip: Carol Spackman Moss
* Assistant Minority Whip: Angela Romero

## Notable members[edit]

### Governors[edit]

* Simon Bamberger
* George Henry Dern
* Henry Hooper Blood
* Herbert Brown Maw
* Calvin Lewellyn Rampton
* Scott Milne Matheson

[8][6]

### Senators[edit]

* Joseph L. Rawlins
* William H. King
* Elbert D. Thomas
* Orrice Abram Murdock Jr.
* Frank E. Moss

### Representatives[edit]

* William H. King
* Brigham Henry Roberts
* Milton H. Welling
* James Henry Mays
* Abe Murdock
* J. W. Robinson
* Walter K. Granger
* Reva Beck Bosone
* M. Blaine Peterson
* David S. King
* K. Gunn McKay
* Wayne Owens
* Allan Turner Howe
* Karen Shepherd
* William Orton
* Jim Matheson
* Ben McAdams

## See also[edit]

* Democratic Party
* Utah Republican Party
* Utah Libertarian Party

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics". Utah Secretary of State. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
2. ^ a b "Utah Democratic Party Platform 2020". Utah Democratic Party. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
3. ^ Democratic Party, The University of Utah, http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/d/DEMOCRATIC.html, retrieved 14 December 2011
4. ^ "Trailblazing former Utah legislator Beverly White, champion of the underdog, dies at age 92". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021.
5. ^ "Utah Democratic Party Executive Committee". Retrieved October 6, 2023.
6. ^ a b c Utah Democratic Party Website
7. ^ "Karen Mayne — Utah Senate". Archived from the original on 2019-02-17.
8. ^ "Jensen, Moroni L. (Moroni Lundby), 1912-1980 - Social Networks and Archival Context".

## External links[edit]

* Utah Democratic Party

* v
* t
* e

Democratic Party

* History
* Second Party System
* Third Party System
* Fourth Party System
* Fifth Party System
* Sixth Party System

National
conventions
and
presidential
tickets|

* 1828 (None): Jackson/Calhoun
* 1832 (Baltimore): Jackson/Van Buren
* 1835 (Baltimore): Van Buren/R. Johnson
* 1840 (Baltimore): Van Buren/None
* 1844 (Baltimore): Polk/Dallas
* 1848 (Baltimore): Cass/Butler
* 1852 (Baltimore): Pierce/King
* 1856 (Cincinnati): Buchanan/Breckinridge
* 1860 (Charleston/Baltimore): Douglas/H. Johnson (Breckinridge/Lane, SD)
* 1864 (Chicago): McClellan/Pendleton
* 1868 (New York): Seymour/Blair
* 1872 (Baltimore): Greeley/Brown
* 1876 (Saint Louis): Tilden/Hendricks
* 1880 (Cincinnati): Hancock/English
* 1884 (Chicago): Cleveland/Hendricks
* 1888 (Saint Louis): Cleveland/Thurman
* 1892 (Chicago): Cleveland/Stevenson I
* 1896 (Chicago): W. Bryan/Sewall
* 1900 (Kansas City): W. Bryan/Stevenson I
* 1904 (Saint Louis): Parker/H. Davis
* 1908 (Denver): W. Bryan/Kern
* 1912 (Baltimore): Wilson/Marshall
* 1916 (Saint Louis): Wilson/Marshall
* 1920 (San Francisco): Cox/Roosevelt
* 1924 (New York): J. Davis/C. Bryan
* 1928 (Houston): Smith/Robinson
* 1932 (Chicago): Roosevelt/Garner
* 1936 (Philadelphia): Roosevelt/Garner
* 1940 (Chicago): Roosevelt/Wallace
* 1944 (Chicago): Roosevelt/Truman
* 1948 (Philadelphia): Truman/Barkley
* 1952 (Chicago): Stevenson II/Sparkman
* 1956 (Chicago): Stevenson II/Kefauver
* 1960 (Los Angeles): Kennedy/L. Johnson
* 1964 (Atlantic City): L. Johnson/Humphrey
* 1968 (Chicago): Humphrey/Muskie
* 1972 (Miami Beach): McGovern/(Eagleton, Shriver)
* 1976 (New York): Carter/Mondale
* 1980 (New York): Carter/Mondale
* 1984 (San Francisco): Mondale/Ferraro
* 1988 (Atlanta): Dukakis/Bentsen
* 1992 (New York): B. Clinton/Gore
* 1996 (Chicago): B. Clinton/Gore
* 2000 (Los Angeles): Gore/Lieberman
* 2004 (Boston): Kerry/Edwards
* 2008 (Denver): Obama/Biden
* 2012 (Charlotte): Obama/Biden
* 2016 (Philadelphia): H. Clinton/Kaine
* 2020 (Milwaukee/other locations): Biden/Harris
* 2024 (Chicago)

Presidential
administrations|

* Jackson (1829–1837)
* Van Buren (1837–1841)
* Polk (1845–1849)
* Pierce (1853–1857)
* Buchanan (1857–1861)
* A. Johnson (1868–1869)
* Cleveland (1885–1889; 1893–1897)
* Wilson (1913–1921)
* Roosevelt (1933–1941; 1941–1945)
* Truman (1945–1953)
* Kennedy (1961–1963)
* L. B. Johnson (1963–1969)
* Carter (1977–1981)
* Clinton (1993–2001)
* Obama (2009–2017)
* Biden (2021–)

U.S. House
leaders,
Speakers,
and
Caucus
chairs|

* A. Stevenson (1827–1834)
* Bell (1834–1835)
* Polk (1835–1839)
* J. W. Jones (1843–1845)
* Davis (1845–1847)
* Cobb (1849–1851)
* Boyd (1851–1855)
* G. W. Jones (1855–1857)
* Orr (1857–1859)
* Houston (1859–1861)
* Niblack/Randall (1869–1871)
* Niblack (1873–1875)
* Kerr (1875–1876)
* Randall (1876–1881)
* Carlisle (1883–1889)
* Holman (1889–1891)
* Crisp (1891–1895)
* D. B. Culberson (1895–1897)
* Richardson (1897–1903)
* Williams (1903–1909)
* Clark (1909–1921)
* Kitchin (1921–1923)
* Garrett (1923–1929)
* Garner (1929–1933)
* Rainey (1933–1934)
* Byrns (1935–1936)
* Bankhead (1936–1940)
* Rayburn (1940–1961)
* McCormack (1962–1971)
* Albert (1971–1977)
* O'Neill (1977–1987)
* Wright (1987–1989)
* Foley (1989–1995)
* Gephardt (1995–2003)
* Pelosi (2003–2023)
* Jeffries (2023–)

U.S. Senate
leaders
and
Caucus
chairs|

* J. W. Stevenson (1873–1877)
* Wallace (1877–1881)
* Pendleton (1881–1885)
* Beck (1885–1890)
* Gorman (1890–1898)
* Turpie (1898–1899)
* J. K. Jones (1899–1903)
* Gorman (1903–1906)
* Blackburn (1906–1907)
* C. A. Culberson (1907–1909)
* Money (1909–1911)
* Martin (1911–1913)
* Kern (1913–1917)
* Martin (1917–1919)
* Hitchcock (1919–1920)
* Underwood (1920–1923)
* Robinson (1923–1937)
* Barkley (1937–1949)
* Lucas (1949–1951)
* McFarland (1951–1953)
* Johnson (1953–1961)
* Mansfield (1961–1977)
* Byrd (1977–1989)
* Mitchell (1989–1995)
* Daschle (1995–2005)
* Reid (2005–2017)
* Schumer (2017–)

Chairs of
the DNC|

* Hallett
* McLane
* Smalley
* Belmont
* Schell
* Hewitt
* Barnum
* Brice
* Harrity
* Jones
* Taggart
* Mack
* McCombs
* McCormick
* Cummings
* White
* Hull
* Shaver
* Raskob
* Farley
* Flynn
* Walker
* Hannegan
* McGrath
* Boyle
* McKinney
* Mitchell
* Butler
* Jackson
* Bailey
* O'Brien
* Harris
* O'Brien
* Westwood
* Strauss
* Curtis
* White
* Manatt
* Kirk
* Brown
* Wilhelm
* DeLee
* Dodd/Fowler
* Romer/Grossman
* Rendell/Andrew
* McAuliffe
* Dean
* Kaine
* Wasserman Schultz
* Perez
* Harrison

State and
territorial
parties|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming
* American Samoa
* District of Columbia
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands
* Democrats Abroad

Affiliated
groups|

| Congress|

* Senate Caucus
* Policy Committee
* Steering and Outreach Committee
* House Caucus
* Factions
* Blue Dog Coalition
* Congressional Progressive Caucus
* Justice Democrats
* New Democrat Coalition
* Problem Solvers Caucus

|

Fundraising|

* Democratic Attorneys General Association
* Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
* Democratic Governors Association
* Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
* Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
* National Conference of Democratic Mayors
* National Democratic Redistricting Committee

Sectional|

* College Democrats of America
* Democrats Abroad
* National Federation of Democratic Women
* Stonewall Democrats
* Stonewall Young Democrats
* Young Democrats of America
* High School Democrats of America

Related|

* Primaries
* Presidential candidates
* Debates
* Superdelegate
* 2005 chairmanship election
* 2017 chairmanship election
* 2006 House Caucus leadership election
* 2018 House Caucus leadership election
* Weekly Democratic Address

* v
* t
* e

Political parties in Utah

Major parties|

* Democratic
* Republican

Ballot-qualified minor parties|

* Constitution
* Green
* Independent American
* Libertarian
* No Labels
* United Utah
* Forward

Defunct parties|

* American
* Independent
* Liberal
* People's
* Personal Choice

Political party strength in Utah

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

Other|

* SNAC

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*[e]: Edit this template