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Democrat exits Utah Senate race, clearing path for Forward Party incumbent

Democrat exits Utah Senate race, clearing path for Forward Party incumbent

Rule Changes Salt Lake City, UT local

Buss faces Republican alone in a district that leans GOP

Today: Democrat exits race, backs Buss

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A 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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Key Indicators

47%
Republican voter registration in SD11
GOP holds registration edge in the district
35
Trump's 2024 margin in SD11
Republican presidential margin in the district
1,301
Voters in Forward Party preference poll
Turnout for the open selection process that chose Buss

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

March 2025 September 2026

8 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Democrat exits race, backs Buss

    Today Withdrawal

    Mackenzie Miller drops out and endorses Emily Buss, leaving a two-person race between Buss and Benson.

  2. Benson wins GOP nomination

    Primary

    Brooks Benson defeats two rivals, including former House Majority Whip John Knotwell.

  3. GOP bill to restrict vacancy flips stalls

    Legislation

    Sen. Mike McKell's SB194, which would have required replacements to match the resigning member's party at last election, is watered down.

  4. Buss appointed to Utah Senate

    Appointment

    Buss takes office as the Forward Party's first and only legislator in Utah.

  5. Buss wins preference poll

    Selection

    Emily Buss wins the open poll, later appointed to the Senate seat.

  6. Forward Party unveils open preference poll

    Process

    Party opens selection of Thatcher's replacement to all District 11 voters, regardless of affiliation.

  7. Thatcher announces resignation

    Resignation

    Thatcher says he will step down before the 2026 session if the Forward Party can run an open replacement process.

  8. Thatcher switches to Forward Party

    Political shift

    Utah 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.

1914–1916

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.

Then

Bevan served two terms but lost in 1918.

Now

No third-party candidate won a Utah legislative seat again for over a century.

Why this matters now

Buss's potential win would break a 110-year drought, making Bevan's precedent directly relevant.

August 2022

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.

Then

Peltola won the seat and later won a full term.

Now

The result showed how a minority party can win when the dominant party splits or when opponents consolidate strategically.

Why this matters now

Here, Miller's exit is a deliberate consolidation to avoid a three-way split, a mirror image of the Alaska dynamic.

Sources

(4)