Utah is one of the reddest states in the country. It's also, according to an analysis from BYU sociology professor Dr. Jacob Rugh, one of the states that has swung hardest toward Democrats over the past two decades—further than Colorado, Virginia or Maryland.
On the latest episode of Special Session, host Bryan Schott sits down with Rugh to go through the numbers and whether this is really a durable shift or just a product of Utahns' well-documented discomfort with Donald Trump.
Rugh argues Utah has moved 24 points toward Democrats since 2004. He says there are two different things happening at once: Trump's underperformance with Utah voters and a slower-moving realignment as fewer Utahns self-identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has dropped from 67% to 50% statewide since 2000.
Rugh also discusses:
- Why Celeste Maloy beat Phil Lyman by a wide margin, even in a brand new district where most voters had never seen her name on the ballot.
- How the Stratos data center controversy helped end Senate President Stuart Adams' political career.
- Why Prop. 4 polls at 64% statewide, including 55% among Republicans.
- Utah voter registration data shows Republicans lost approximately 4,700 voters this year, while Democrats gained almost 9,700.
Listen to the full conversation at this link, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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