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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Democratic Party announced its first statewide coordinated campaign since 2016 to pool resources and show a united front ahead of next year's general election.
Officially launched on Tuesday, the party's "Organize Utah" initiative promises "historic investments" in typically Republican districts and record-level spending on voter education efforts in 2024.
"2024 is a crucial year for our party, and that's why I am so excited about the launch of Organize Utah," said Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis in a press release. "We believe that not only will our early planning and preparation lead to Democratic gains next November, but that we are also laying the groundwork for success in the years to come."
Democrats have already fielded a high-profile contender to challenge Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican. Former Utah House Minority Leader Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, announced his gubernatorial campaign earlier this month. Utah Democrats will gather in April to select a nominee for the state's U.S. Senate election to replace Sen. Mitt Romney.
Unlike a typical election year where county parties and candidates are largely responsible for mobilizing their own get-out-the-vote initiatives, 2024 will see the state Democratic Party taking the lead on boosting voter turnout.
Outsourcing these responsibilities to the state organization enables more efficient use of fundraising resources and frees up county parties and candidates to focus on their particular campaign messages, according to the state party's communications director, Ben Anderson.
"If we can handle turning out the Democrats and making sure Democrats are motivated and inspired to get out to the polls and vote, then candidates will have a lot more opportunity to spend their time and their resources reaching those persuadable voters who can really make the difference," Anderson said in an interview with the Deseret News Tuesday morning.
The state party apparatus plans to spend thousands of dollars next year on registering new voters in key areas and getting them to the polls at election time, Anderson said. The 2022 election cycle currently holds the record for the most money spent by the Utah Democratic Party on voter activation initiatives, he said, but they aim to exceed that number by 65% in 2024.
"That will be the largest get-out-the-vote effort that Democrats have seen in Utah, ever," he said.
And these unprecedented investments won't be limited to the state's handful of blue islands in Salt Lake County, according to Anderson.
"A lot of times in years past, the Democratic Party has honestly been just very focused on the Wasatch Front, and a few seats specifically in Salt Lake County. A lot of people have not felt in the past, like we have been a true statewide party," Anderson said.
But Anderson said party officials hope 2024 will send a signal to candidates across the state, "especially in tough districts," that the party has their back, and will for years to come.
"We're going to be investing in areas where we know we might not win next year, but areas where we think we can win in four years, or six years or eight years," Anderson said.
The impetus for the coordinated campaign came, at least in part, from the relative strength of state Sen. Kathleen Riebe's congressional campaign, which came to an end with a general election loss to Rep. Celeste Maloy in November. Anderson said Utah Democrats hope to keep the momentum from Riebe's race where she emphasized rural outreach, highlighted Democratic unity in contrast with Republican infighting and tried to frame her GOP opponent as extreme.
Democratic candidates will have an opportunity to deliver a similar message in 2024, Anderson said, with former President Donald Trump as the likely GOP nominee and Utah gearing up for contentious Republican primaries for governor, U.S. Senate and possibly the 3rd Congressional District.
"We've seen since 2016, people in Utah really don't like Donald Trump and the Republican Party has every year become more and more of the party of Trump — and that's going all the way down the ballot. So I think that is definitely a reason why we see opportunities next year," Anderson said.
While Utahns' support of Trump has been relatively lukewarm compared to historical support for Republican presidential candidates, Democrats are unlikely to change the red state to purple or blue anytime soon.
In 2020, Utah voters preferred Trump to President Joe Biden 58%-38%. And Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, won reelection in 2022 53%-43% against independent challenger Evan McMullin.
But Anderson says he sees trends showing residents of the Beehive State are looking for an alternative to Trump's brand of conservatism.
"We believe Utahns are on our side where they agree with our message that we don't need more of Donald Trump's divisive, extreme policies and rhetoric," Anderson said. "We need common sense leaders and I think that's what our Democratic candidates are going to be offering next year."
