Utah Democrats launch campaign to recruit more party candidates in local elections

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Democratic Party has kicked off a statewide campaign with the goal of recruiting hundreds of Democratic candidates to run for local office in Utah.

"To ensure progress in our state, we have to be persistent with voters. That means no contest is too local, and no race is too small," said Diane Lewis, state Democratic Party chairwoman. "Our pathway to victory is to find local leaders to run for office everywhere."

The campaign, which kicked off last week, is part of a national movement being led by Contest Every Race, which is working to rebuild Democratic strength in places where Republicans often run uncontested.

The new 2025 candidate recruitment program is trying to fill more than 700 offices in communities around Utah, including city council, town council and mayoral seats. This will be done through seeking and supporting new Democratic candidates ahead of the June 7 filing deadline.

Outreach for the recruitment drive will prioritize rural and small-town communities, where Republicans often run unopposed. Outreach methods include text messaging, organizing meetings and coaching support for first-time candidates.

"In local races across the country, we are seeing voters turn out in red districts and vote for Democrats," added Zoë Stein, executive director of Contest Every Race. "That's why we're so excited to partner with Utah Democrats and ensure voters have a choice — because when they do, they vote blue."

National Contest Every Race initiative

Contest Every Race was founded in 2018 and since then has recruited over 11,000 Democrats to run for local office across the country.

"We believe that no election should go unchallenged and that regular people with shared values can step up to make a difference," per the Contest Every Race website.

"Our mission is to strengthen democracy by empowering individuals to run for office, especially in communities where Republicans and the radical right have taken control unopposed," the website states.

In 2022, the organization found that more than 50% of all partisan races went without Democratic contest.

How many Utah races went uncontested last year?

Utah is a primarily Republican state and has multiple races go uncontested each election year.

In the November 2024 general election, out of 137 Utah elections covered by Ballotpedia, 35 of them were uncontested.

Throughout all of 2024, Ballotpedia covered 638 elections in Utah and 442 of them were uncontested.

Ballotpedia defines an uncontested election as "one where the number of candidates on the ballot is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. Candidates running in uncontested elections are virtually guaranteed victory."

In the 2024 elections for Utah's state legislative seats, there was no Democratic candidate in 25 of 75 House races and in 6 of 14 Senate races.

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