Senate leader Wayne Niederhauser Founded 1854 | House leader Greg Hughes | |
Ideology ConservatismFiscal conservatismSocial conservatism | ||
The Utah Republican Party works to nominate and support the election of Republican candidates in partisan races for public office in the state of Utah. Promote the principles of the State Party Platform and abide by the elections laws, constitution, and bylaws of the Party.
Contents
History
The state of Utah politics was reorganized after the 1890 Manifesto led by Wilford Woodruff. The 1890 Manifesto officially ended the traditionally Mormon practice of Polygamy. Many prominent polygamist Mormons were imprisoned, punished and harassed since the 1890 Manifesto prohibited plural marriage. This action granted the Utah Territory statehood in 1896 on the condition that polygamy was banned in the state constitution. The Republican Frank J. Cannon was the first delegate elected to congress by the state of Utah in 1894.
The state of Utah rapidly gained overwhelming support for the Republican Party. Although the Republican Party had played a major part in abolishing polygamy, the Republican U.S. Senator Reed Smoot rose to political power. Smoot led a political alliance of Mormons and non-Mormons that created a strong Republican party in many parts of the state.
The Republican Party is currently dominant in Utah politics: no Democrat has won statewide office since 1996, when Jan Graham was elected attorney general; and when Mia Love replaced Jim Matheson in congress in 2014, Utah's congressional delegation became all-Republican.
Constitution
The Members of the Utah Republican Party are grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty. The members desire the perpetuation of the free government principles and the blessings of liberty. The Party is governed by the Utah State Constitution, Party By-lays, and Robert's Rules of Order Current Edition.
Current elected officials
The Utah Republican Party controls all five statewide offices and holds a supermajority in the Utah House of Representatives and the Utah State Senate. Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and all four of the state's U.S. House seats.
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Statewide offices
State Legislature
State party organization
In off election years the Utah Republican Party holds organizing conventions where state delegate elect a chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer. The state party officers are elected for a term of two (2) years.
Central Committee
The State Central Committee has representatives from every county in Utah. Along with the automatic members, each county chair and vice-chair, counties are allocated representative based on the number of voting republicans in that county. These representatives are voted in by each county's central committee which in turn is made up of precinct chairs and vice chairs elected at neighborhood caucuses.
State Party Caucuses
Party Caucuses are held every two years in Utah.
County party organizations
Each of Utah's 29 counties has a party organization, which operates within that county and sends delegates to the State Central Committee.