SALT LAKE CITY — Just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was projected by NBC and The Associated Press as the winner of the Utah Democratic presidential primary.

In a state where Democrats don't always feel their votes are important, as one young party member said Tuesday, the primary is their moment. And by delivering Sanders a victory — and former Vice President Joe Biden a third-place finish — young Utah Democrats were certainly heard.

At Gracie's, a gastropub in downtown Salt Lake City, members of the Young Democrats of Utah organization gathered to celebrate and watch the results roll in from across the country.

Though Sanders and Biden both racked up big wins on a Super Tuesday when 14 states were on the line, several young Utah Democrats there expressed a clear preference for one over the other.

Josh Daughetee joined the party from Utah County, where he's organizing a student Democratic organization at Utah Valley University. Daughetee said Sanders has a "proven record" of progressive policies.

"He's really never wavered in his message," Daughetee said. "Really standing up for the little people — that's what drew me to the Democratic Party in the first place."

Sabrina Smith also voted for Sanders. "Health care, I feel like that's a huge problem in our country," she said. "I appreciate that he recognizes ... what a big problem it is and has a plan to fix it.

"I know people who've had medical bankruptcies for things that were out of their control," she went on. "I don't feel like that's acceptable."

As watch party attendees mingled and sampled the Gracie's fare, Zachary Moses moved between tables in a cowboy hat to promote his campaign for governor. Carrying a ballcap that promised to "part the red sea" — a reference to both his surname and Utah politics — Moses said the early evening results were "way more contested" than he expected.

"It's like people are choosing between Sweden and Barack Obama," he said of Sanders and Biden.

Cassidie Archuleta said she came extremely close to voting for Sanders, but ultimately opted for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren instead.

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"I immediately regretted it," she said, noting that she probably would have felt the same either way. "I was so torn."

Archuleta said she would "of course" support the eventual nominee no matter what. "But do I want Biden? No. I don't feel like he is a strong leader."

As the executive director of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party, Bonnie Billings wasn't able to talk about her personal preferences. But she did express excitement about the party's primary, which has new importance this year now that Utah is voting on Super Tuesday.

In 2016 when the state held caucuses, Billings said, participation was down by 55,000 people over 2008. This year, voters are "breaking records" in turnout.

"There's a huge difference," she said. "I think it is because we're getting a little bit more attention." She noted the many candidates, from Warren to Bloomberg, to Buttigieg and Sanders on Monday, who've traveled through the state.

"The voters here in Utah, especially Democratic voters here in Utah, having attention from any national campaign is still a novelty to them. If a candidate shows up, it's likely that they're going to get support from voters here in Utah."

She said it makes Utah Democrats feel like their votes aren't being "wasted."

Archuleta admitted that she sometimes feels that way as a Utah Democrat. "I know that, just by talking to different people, a lot of Democrats in general feel pretty hopeless living in Utah. Like their vote just doesn't count."

For voters who chose between Sanders, Biden, Bloomberg and Warren, that wasn't the case on Tuesday. But thousands more who picked Pete Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar during early voting still held that sentiment.

At a Hinckley Institute of Politics Super Tuesday event, some young voters told KSL NewsRadio's Paul Nelson they were surprised by the primary results and the rapidly shifting field.

"I wish I just could have voted with all of the information," said Morgan Lyon Cotti. "I didn't think we'd see so many things shift with the election just a day, half a day, two days before the election."

Nationally, Super Tuesday suggested that the Democratic nomination could soon become a two-way race. With their strong showing for Sanders, Utah Democrats, more so than in many years, played a part in shaping that reality.

Contributing: Paul Nelson, KSL NewsRadio

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