Democrat exits Utah Senate race, clearing path for Forward Party incumbent
Rule Changes Salt Lake City, UT localBuss faces Republican alone in a district that leans GOP
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Overview
Updated 1 hour agoA Democrat running for a Utah state Senate seat dropped out last week and endorsed the Forward Party incumbent, leaving the state's only third-party lawmaker in a head-to-head race against a Republican. The move reshapes a contest that could hand the Forward Party its first elected seat in more than a century.
The district, which leans Republican by 35 points, was held by a Republican who switched parties and resigned. The Republican-controlled legislature tried to change vacancy rules to prevent such flips, but the measure was watered down. Now voters decide whether a third-party candidate can hold a seat in a GOP stronghold.
Why it matters
If Buss wins, she'd be the first third-party legislator elected in Utah since 1914, upending assumptions about one-party dominance.
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Timeline
March 2025 September 2026
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Democrat exits race, backs Buss
Today WithdrawalMackenzie Miller drops out and endorses Emily Buss, leaving a two-person race between Buss and Benson.
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Benson wins GOP nomination
PrimaryBrooks Benson defeats two rivals, including former House Majority Whip John Knotwell.
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GOP bill to restrict vacancy flips stalls
LegislationSen. Mike McKell's SB194, which would have required replacements to match the resigning member's party at last election, is watered down.
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Buss appointed to Utah Senate
AppointmentBuss takes office as the Forward Party's first and only legislator in Utah.
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Buss wins preference poll
SelectionEmily Buss wins the open poll, later appointed to the Senate seat.
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Forward Party unveils open preference poll
ProcessParty opens selection of Thatcher's replacement to all District 11 voters, regardless of affiliation.
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Thatcher announces resignation
ResignationThatcher says he will step down before the 2026 session if the Forward Party can run an open replacement process.
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Thatcher switches to Forward Party
Political shiftUtah Sen. Daniel Thatcher leaves the GOP to join Forward Party on the last day of the session.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
J. Alex Bevan's Socialist victories (1914–1916)
J. Alex Bevan, a Socialist, won a Utah House seat from Tooele County in 1914 and was re-elected in 1916. He was the only third-party legislator in Utah's modern history.
Bevan served two terms but lost in 1918.
No third-party candidate won a Utah legislative seat again for over a century.
Buss's potential win would break a 110-year drought, making Bevan's precedent directly relevant.
Alaska's 2022 special election (Mary Peltola)
In a heavily Republican Alaska House district, Democrat Mary Peltola won a special election when the GOP field split between two candidates. Ranked-choice voting allowed her to capture a majority after trailing.
Peltola won the seat and later won a full term.
The result showed how a minority party can win when the dominant party splits or when opponents consolidate strategically.
Here, Miller's exit is a deliberate consolidation to avoid a three-way split, a mirror image of the Alaska dynamic.
