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- Emily Buss won a preference poll to replace retiring Utah Sen. Daniel Thatcher of the Utah Forward Party.
- Buss secured over 47% of 1,324 votes in Senate District 11's online poll, a first-of-its-kind voting method promoted by the Utah Forward Party.
- Thatcher became the only third-party lawmaker in Salt Lake City after switching from the Republican Party in March.
WEST VALLEY CITY — The Utah Forward Party nominated Emily Buss to fill the vacant seat left by retiring Sen. Daniel Thatcher after she won a first-of-its-kind online preference poll of district voters that concluded late Thursday.
Buss won a five-person race with more than 47% of the 1,324 votes cast in Senate District 11. The vote was conducted using approval voting, which meant voters could select multiple candidates they liked. The four other candidates each finished with totals in the low 30s.
"I am honored, surprised and grateful to the voters of District 11 for placing their trust in me. But this isn't about me, this is about the people I represent," Buss said in a statement. "Together, we will work toward commonsense solutions that will strengthen our communities, support our families and bring a brighter future for District 11 and all Utahns. There is a lot to be done. Let's get to work."
Buss is awaiting official appointment by the governor to fill the vacancy of Thatcher, who became the only third-party member of the state Legislature when he ditched the Republican Party to join the Utah Forward Party, which had merged with the United Utah Party earlier this year. Even before officially splitting with the GOP, Thatcher was a constant voice of dissent on social issues within the caucus and was known for butting heads with Republican leadership.
"Serving the people of Utah for the past 15 years has been my honor, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership of my constituents," he said. "I want to thank the Forward Party for facilitating an open, transparent and historic process with more participation than any replacement process in Utah history."
When a state lawmaker steps down, Utah law allows the political party to nominate a replacement to be confirmed by the governor. Both major parties typically let the relatively small number of delegates in the district vote on replacements, but the Utah Forward Party opened its online system to all active voters in District 11.
The vast majority of votes were cast online, but a handful of voters opted to cast votes at in-person polling places open in several cities.
Buss will fill Thatcher's seat for the upcoming legislative session but will need to win a traditional election next fall if she wants to serve past 2026.
The district covers several cities on the west side of Salt Lake Valley, a slice of Utah County and much of Tooele County, and is expected to draw challengers from both Democrats and Republicans.
A full breakdown of votes is below. Because voters were allowed to select more than one candidate, the total votes exceed the number of ballots cast:
- Emily Buss: 625, 47.21%
- Maleah Bliss: 436, 32.93%
- Tyley Bean: 426, 32.18%
- Jeff Marshall: 418, 31.57%
- Jeff Saunders: 403, 30.44%
