A week after Utah Republicans woke up to an election result almost nobody predicted, at least one party leader isn't reaching for excuses.
Democrats gained ground in nearly every legislative race across the state, with districts swinging about 17 points toward Democrats whether the seat had an incumbent or was open. In Salt Lake County, Democrats will now control the County Council, the outcome Carey spent more than a year warning his party about.
Carey blames a mix of shifting demographics and a national backlash. He says Trump’s 2024 coalition is splintering over “unkept promises,” and that the Iran war comes up more than anything else in his conversations with voters, including his own 23-year-old son, who went from “hardcore Trumpian” to disaffected in two years.
Closer to home, Carey says Republican officeholders have drifted away from the basics of representative government, listening more to donors and lobbyists instead of voters.
“I hope this is a wake-up call to those that are in elected office, both Republican and Democrat, that your constituents come first,” he said. “Special interests do not.”
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