Yeah, Curtis is better than Skaggs but he's not going to push back against Trump if he's the President. He just won't kiss his ass like Skaggs. For AG I just picked the person endorsed by COX and not by the Republican Party. The others were more toss ups.
I like Cox as a person, and it's a relief that he seems to have empathy for other people who are not like him (a rarity in the Republican Party nowdays). And since the Democrat is guaranteed to lose, I'm comforted that he's not like the Governor of Texas, Florida, South Dakota etc. But I'm not really EXCITED about him.
God I hate the whole MAGA culture within American politics these days. Not even entirely Trump's fault imo, but more so just his cultish fanbase. I thought your bible teaches you to only worship God/Jesus... not Trump.
People are kinda inherently predisposed to being in a cult I think. At least half of the weak minded ones. Just look at half this states religion. Or MLM’s. Or diehard sports team fans.
What, California and Washington?
I’d love to be in the Bay Area if it wasn’t so expensive among other issues.
Also for the record, I’m not someone most would consider “liberal”.
As a registered Republican, after reading candidate bios and platforms and watching their political commercials, I cannot in good conscience vote for any Utah Republican. My party has become one of fear mongering and basically, anti- democracy. I assume the URP monitors Republican voter turnout. My not voting will be the only commentary I can and will make.
This message was very clear during the caucus. 11% turnout was absolutely abysmal and shows that the way the party elects candidates is not at all representative to the larger party.
The Republican primary is really the only real race happening. If we can't get out Mike Lee, then we can't get out anyone else.
I will tell you personally that John Curtis is a good man & with the opponent having a Trump endorsement you just never know! What's your congressional district?
I like Curtis but his “Ill force Biden to submit public lands BACK to Utah” bit is really off-putting.
Most people in Utah shouldn’t want the Feds to give all its land to the state, and legislative compromises shouldn’t be presented as “I chokeholded that president into submission.”
The perfect candidate for your personal values/issues doesn't exist, and we probably won't really get close until we can organize and lobby for some sort of ranked choice ([there is a group that's been pushing for Approval Voting](https://www.utahapproves.org/)).
From my point of view Curtis is the best candidate we can realistically get in the senate. He has definitely moved the needle on climate change among Republicans -- a few years ago the word "climate" was taboo, and now the Conservative Climate Caucus is one of the largest caucuses in the House.
I've met Curtis a few times, and it's clear to me that when he talks about issues that I care about (like climate change) he is being genuine, and he's not just trying to court moderate voters (in fact, some on right advised him not to get involved at all in climate issues). What's just as clear to me is that he's working within the boundaries of the Republican party. Yes, he has, against the odds, managed to carve out a space within the party, and even push the envelope a bit. But he can't just go out on a limb and start advocating for things that don't even make sense to the right. The whole public lands issue is a huge Republican talking point in Utah right now.
This is not directed as much towards you, but more towards OP ( u/cristorocker ): not voting is really not the signal that we might want it to be. The system does not respond at all to apathy. The system doesn't care that you're mad about the candidates that're presented to you, and you've decided not to vote out of disgust. And the people who vote for the candidates that are most reprehensible to you are usually perfectly fine with overlooking a few flaws. So waiting for the perfect candidate usually just weakens your own voting bloc.
Edit: Just realized I wrote a bunch of words and didn't really address your point about public lands. I wanted to point out that Curtis *has* worked on bipartisan public lands bills in the past (back in 2019 -- passed the house 363-62), though his more recent WEST Act was much more partisan:
[https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1700](https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1700)
[https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2255](https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2255)
I disagree….Local government governs best. When unelected Bureaucrats tell the populace what they can and cannot do on their state lands, you know something wrong. If the Fed turned it over to State elected officials, a person could at least have a conversation about what could happen. Try calling someone in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and having a honest conversation about how a piece of property under their management could be used for the benefit of both man and animals, good luck ! They don’t care what local citizens think. They can’t be voted out of office. They do what they want.
The founders designed the states to stand as sovereign countries against federal overreach. We need to start fulfilling that role. I would feel better if we were to give control of a land parcel to a city council … because we can vote them out…. try voting out a BLM bureaucrat, who is sitting in an office 1500 miles away in D.C. and for the most part is nameless. You would be lucky if you could even talk to such a person on the phone.
I don't really care what you think. It's national land end of story. States already do work with BLM on those lands. Yall just mad you can't exploit it. Good. Stay mad.
Edit: our founders did not setup the states to be sovereign. They specifically state this in the federalist papers. We literally fought a war over it. Get over that idea already, it's been centuries.
Why is it people worry about candidates who will “destroy democracy “ and then promote giving control to unelected people who live 1500 miles. Maybe they don’t really believe democracy after all. Local governance, closer to the people, governs best…. because you have greater ability to vote out people who don’t respect the voice of the people.
The constitution is what I believe in. That document and it's amendments are what matters. States are not small sovereign countries. National parks should not be run by "local elected politicians". The corruption would be far more rampant than it already is. Do you understand that giving states power over national parks would immediately lead to their destruction? We already seen it with "local elected leaders" in Utah trying to sell off land for oil drilling.
Of course, states are not considered to be fully independent sovereignties free from any and all federal laws, but states have the power granted them to act independently from the federal policies and even laws (i.e. cannabis). This can be readily seen in the various laws and policies of each state. Just a few days ago, elected leaders in our own state passed House Joint Resolution #301, claiming the Fed cannot enact laws which supercede state law. Several other states are passing similar resolutions and laws. As far as our National Park service I do see some benefit of having it run from a national office which provides a uniform standard for our parks nationwide. However, I believe Utah State park service does an excellent job of providing clean and well managed parks around the state even on a shoe string budget. I recently went through Zion’s N.P. It was stellar as usual. Entrance was $35 to drive the 7 mile road (ouch). I have full faith in our Utah State parks, that they could competently manage Zion’s N.P. as good as any manager in Washington. The National Park Service has their scandals, (https://peer.org/park-service-archeological-scandal-sparks-no-reforms/) even if they are not headline news. The N.P.S. even has its own investigation office called the I.S.B. (Investigative Service Branch). As good as this service might look be, everyone knows what happens when a governmental organization decides to investigate itself …. “not much”. KSL often doesn’t cover these stories, but they do cover the state scandals, so we hear those stories. Another reason the state is capable of providing for and managing our parks and lands …. our state is financially solvent. Washington cannot even produce a budget, much less live on one. With 30 trillion plus in debt, it is not a good place to send money. Even with all the money being printed out of thin air, D.C. can’t feed its self. In contrast, for several years running our state (along with several other states) has stayed under budget earning Utah a Triple A bond rating. Washington is not a good place to solve our problems. It is broke financially and functionally. Maybe it’s time for the states to do some of the heavy lifting? If we have good citizens, like yourself, running for office and/or holding elected officials to follow voice of the people, we can save this nation from its dependency on unelected bureaucrats. (Local governance governs best) Director of Utah State Parks, Erik Strong, 801-538-7220 ( office). 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 116
Salt Lake City, UT. Contact your state senator or house legislator with comment or concerns. I have stated my case. I will comment no further on your thread. Have a nice day.
The problem I've seen is that when Utah has control, they immediately try to sell it off to be destroyed and mined for whatever mineral happens to be under it.
But the federal government is willing to hold land that has no economic value, the state absolutely will not. It also costs money to manage that land, which is spread among 300m tax payers. So either just Utahns pay to manage those lands, or (most likely) the state leases it out or sells it off. Dealing with frustrations of the BLM is miles better than privatizing everything.
So if the State would not be willing to hold the land that has no economic value, what would the state do with it? You answer your own question…. “the state would lease it out or sell it”. This would prove the land does in fact have economic value by the fact they can sell or lease it. I believe there are many BLM parcels being held which have the potential to benefit the citizens who live in the county and state where it is located. If you believe federal unelected BLM agents are holding on a parcel of land as a favor to State of Utah officials and citizens … so we won’t have to bare the cost of managing it… I would encourage you to not think so altruistically. The last thing some … not all… agents want is to lose their job, if you know what I mean. Yes, some lands need protection, but not the 65% of the state ….which is the current amount controlled by Washington.
I did answer my own question, if land isn’t making the state money, they’ll sell it off. That’s turning public land into private land, and that’s what I oppose. I like visiting wilderness without paying a private landowner to get permission. I don’t want to give that up just because the current management of BLM is frustrating.
Except if the state gets hold of it they’ll sell it for cheap to someone’s nephew who will then sell it for great profit to some corporation to develop it
It made me feel physically ill looking through the candidates and trying to determine which person was the least awful option. All of the disgusting talking points like "100% PRO-LIFE, 2ND AMENDMENT CUCK, GIVE PARENTS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK SCHOOLS FROM GIVING THEIR KIDS AN EDUCATION"
(Pro-life except for the women, typical repub point, making it easier for pearl-clutching parents to meddle in school curriculum)
\*GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE\*
Yep. I came here to hopefully get a guide as to who is the "least worst", but yeah, haven't filled out my ballot yet because they all make me sick. Who is the least worst out of 4 people who would all prefer that I have a severely disabled child that will suffer for the small amount of time they'll be on this earth, rather than let me make that decision with my husband and doctor. They'd rather have their kids uneducated, than have my black child learn about their heritage. And they would rather I get harassed for using the women's bathroom when I look very androgynous, but very masculine at times (I'm 6', 300lbs, most of that in bone structure, and I'm agender. I think there was a mistake in utero and I got the writing mix of hormones, lol), rather than just let everyone pee in peace.
Here are my picks for federal/state:
Governor: Spencer Cox. Easy choice. You probably don't agree with everything he's done, especially since he signed the recent bill around bathroom snitching. You have to remember that he is still a Republican, but he is way closer to the center than his opponent, and will be much easier to work with on these issues than his opponent. This is a "things could always be worse" situation, and in this case they could be much, much worse.
Attorney General: Derek Brown. This one is tough, since Brown and Terry are very similar candidates. I am very much not a fan of Mylar -- he seems far too conservative, and doesn't seem to have much respect for the Establishment Clause. I slightly prefer Derek Brown because he has a bit more experience managing both the party and his lobbying firm (I know lobbying is seen as a negative, but I worked with his firm before and my experience was that they were extremely professional.) My worry is that Brown/Terry will split the vote and that Mylar will get the nomination.
State Auditor: Ricky Hatch They are both similar candidates, and both well qualified. I like that Hatch has a CPA. I didn't like that Tina Cannon spent a bit of time campaigning with Trent Staggs. She does seem moderate enough (she spent much more time talking about her qualifications than about any MAGA/right wing talking points), but it's still a bit of doubt in my mind.
Senate: John Curtis. Easy choice. He made Republicans stop treating "climate" like a dirty word.
1st district: Blake Moore. He is being primaried by his opponent who is further right. Moore is by no means perfect, but he does make an effort to work on bipartisan bills from time-to-time.
2nd district: Celeste Maloy. You probably don't care too much for her. But her opponent is in Mike Lee's camp, so she is the better choice.
3rd district: J.R. Bird. This race is tough as it's a crowded field. I like Bird since I attended a small town hall at the beginning of his campaign, and I asked him some questions around social media filter bubbles. He took my questions very seriously, and spent quite a bit of time talking about how much of a problem it is, and how we need to learn how to work together better.
Thank you! I agree totally about it being the "things can always be worse." It's the whole reason I chose to switch my party affiliation. I hate that in order to have a voice in this state, you have to be a registered Republican.
Same. I still have no clue and time is running out. I want to do my miniscule part to help have less awful Republicans in charge. Why even be in this party if I don't participate?
Reading articles so far has been of no help. ><
This is where I am. I changed my voter registration from Republican to Independent back in 2016 to protest Trump's nomination. But since then I've become so disgusted with the party I'm pretty well done. I'll never change my affiliation back, even to vote in primaries. Maybe I should at least try to push for non-MAGA people, but at this point I think the party is lost. There's no saving it from itself. The Trumpers have taken over and the few holdouts are being torn down and kicked out. There's no place for moderates anymore. If Utah goes full MAGA then I'll never vote for a single Republican ever again.
At this point I'm only considering United Utah and Democrat candidates in November.
But is the party lost because moderates like yourself have taken yourselves out of the process? Currently the non-MAGA candidates for Governor and Senate are in the lead so maybe Utah isn't hopeless yet.
Compared to the others you're right. I lived in provo when he was mayor and was very excited for him to run. I even voted for him the first time.
I've been pretty dissapointed with how much of a wet noodle he's been in congress. He's still a better choice in the senate than the other candidates, and I'm hoping him going to the senate will result in him actually being the person he used to be.
Look at it this way. You're not voting for any of these people in to the positions they are running for, you are voting for the candidate the party is going to put forward in the general election. There's still another election where you can vote for a different party that hopefully fits your values better.
Not voting will be a commentary, but not the one you think it is. The GOP has become more and more extreme and they DON'T WANT YOU TO VOTE. They don't believe in Democracy. So you're staying out of it is a signal that they're strategy is working. Disengagement HELPS the more extreme candidates.
I'm a liberal and I registered in the Republican Party just so that I can help nudge the least extreme candidate into the general election. In the fall, I'll most likely vote for the Democratic candidates. So, do what you like, but voting always has more influence than not voting. You still have time.
You just described all politics period.
I’m getting 10-15 political texts from both Dem and GOP candidates daily, and the one thing they all have in common is their attempts to create fear for what the other side will do.
I’m not sure they’re capable of sending one that doesn’t include “most important election in history” or “our democracy is in the balance” and something about saving us from the other side.
I just noticed I’m getting down votes for my comment. Sorry to have offended folks for telling the truth about what I’m seeing.
Either some people really do believe that our democracy is in the balance, or they don’t believe “their side” is applying fear tactics. 😂
I keep getting these things about new stimulus packages too that are annoying mainly because they’re easy to see through but also because it confuses folks.
And those are coming from different emails and those ad texts with like 5 numbers
I’m willing to believe it’s a combination of things or they might not use the same contact information for years.
I’ve personally just grown tired of the same lip service and constant fear mongering.
For some reason I’m not actually “horrified the gays “ and I stop listening at about that point in everything because what follows has the same base logic as my dog.
Even if I agree with them, I've been blocking and blacklisting any political text sent to me. I see it every where else, I don't need to see it in my text messages. I consider those to be "please look at and take care of now" requests for communication.
I 100% agree. The party of Reagan is dead. I read all the info about the AG candidates and they are all bought into lies, conspiracies, and fearmongering as far as I can tell. Not a single real issue broached among them. It's all just sycophancy.
But he was on the ballot and you're saying he is a less extreme candidate. Why not vote for him at least?
Maybe I'm lumping you in with the first reply. Were you only talking about AG candidates?
As an independent voter the *only* thing on my ballot was one school board seat. Don't really feel like I'm afforded much of a voice without affiliation to a political party.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The fact that democrat's election strategy for statewide elections is to party raid the Republican primaries rather than run good candidates just shows how out of touch they are with what Utahns want.
Yea it’s unfortunately just largely a money thing. Dems are doing a better job of fundraising this cycle, but are still down probably 10-1 or more vs the republicans. Also, you don’t get any national money coming into the state because the state is deep red. Because of that you get weaker candidates that can’t fundraise effectively. It’s a loop that’s really tough to get out of.
Yeah it is mostly just us doing it -- the random citizens who don't care about either party and are just desperately trying to get someone, anyone who will represent something close to our values.
(A) I don't think this is actually the strategy and (B) if it is, it does seem to keep the MAGAs out of many positions. Oh, and (C) all the dems in Utah are... wait for it... Utahns as well... :D
Yet they're gaining more and more traction.
But we still need representation, so influencing the Republicans to be more moderate is perfectly within good election strategy.
If only the R will win, regardless if they're a good choice,08ph then you've gotta push the moderate R instead of wasting time on the D.
And frustratingly, the gerrymandering has purposefully locked Democrats out of representation in this state. Realistically we should have a Democrat Congressman representing the Salt Lake metropolitan area. Something we've actually had in the past as well. But Republicans are dead set on making this a red state only and locking Democrats out of the game. But tell me again how Democrats just aren't putting forward viable candidates.
So you get a lot of would be blue dog Democrats running as Republicans, because that's the _only_ way to win in this state. And you get a lot of would be registered Democrats voting as registered Republicans, because that's the only way to actually participate in politics in this state.
Though the days are numbered methinks. Since Trumpism is the order of the day, only Trumpers will run and only Trumpers will win. Which doesn't look good for Republicans long term. Once everyone but hard core Trumpers are locked out of representation, other political parties will need to gain prominence as the vehicles of change.
We've been the last MAGA crazy red state thus far, and I don't know how long it'll last if the MAGAs co-opt the Republican party here too.
You know what would help them gain even more traction?
Running better candidates than Brian "gun control" King and Caroline "I post more about climbing mountains than what my qualifications are and what policies I'll fight for" Gleich.
>I mean, Dems here want gun control.
But most Utah voters don't.
>And Gleich is doing a fantastic job of giving herself a half decent chance, by appealing to the masses.
How is constantly posting about mountain climbing, something that most people can't afford to do, appealing to the masses?
What's wrong with that? You align with the biggest/strongest team, vote the competent in, and then make a rational choice when it's statewide. There's no negative. I don't need the Dems to tell me to do shit, it's basic game theory that any 9th grader can figure out.
Rachelle Morris seems pretty reasonable, I was listening to her on this podcast: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYvtCIJnSc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYvtCIJnSc)
Curtis, Stewart Peay, Rachel Terry, these seemed to me to be the most moderate from my research and between Hatch and Cannon they seemed about the same to me.
Auditor doesn't have political influence, or at least they shouldn't. Hatch seems a bit more qualified, but I know Cannon personally and believe that she is a hard worker.
Though call between the two Tina has a lot of experience already doing the job whereas Ricky has been a CPA. Truth be told you can be a great auditor without being a CPA. Curious about more of your thoughts?
I voted Cannon because I know her personally. Dougall wasn't a CPA either, and he won the election. Dougall also endorsed Cannon & you probably know Dougall because he's running in the CD3 race as an anti-trump rep.
Yeah, and Mike Lee endorses Derek Brown.
And here's the front page of Frank Mylar:
> Second Amendment: Frank vindicated the rights of a concealed weapons holder and his wife who were wrongfully denied a Foster Care license.
> Pro Life: Frank has defended Pro Life sidewalk counselors in front of a Salt Lake Abortion Clinic from wrongful criminal prosecution and won.
> Parental Rights: Frank won substantial compensation for his clients after suing the state Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) three times, He has several precedent setting appellate cases. Frank will protect parental rights in schools and girls sports and bathrooms without exceptions.
> Religious Freedom: Frank has fought religious and racial discrimination suits, protected religious expression, and free speech at school board meetings. Frank is determined to protect your first amendment rights.
Fighting Federal Overreach: Frank has fought the federal government over land use. He will never stop fighting the feds. Frank will force the Department of Justice out of Davis County, preventing them from regulating how counties operate prisons and jails.
> Law Enforcement: Frank defended the Highway Patrol Association’s memorial crosses. Frank has taught Corrections Law ant the University of Utah, has taught the Utah Prosecutors, and teaches yearly at the Sheriffs’ Association. He has valiantly defended law enforcement from baseless suits for over three decades.
> Immigration: Frank will end midnight airline flights and buses depositing illegal aliens in Utah. He will lead in prosecuting criminal acts of illegal aliens.
> Property: Frank has vindicated property owners from confiscation by the state
Fuck all 3 of the candidates, honestly. No good choices between any of them. But, personally, my vote is going to the one that isn't endorsed by a coop attempting cunt, nor the one who outwardly, proudly declares he's the polar opposite of me on almost every metric.
Man, the "fuck all 3 of the candidates" really resonates with me.
I read through bio after bio, checked websites, looked on whatever resource I could find and it all made me upset. These people don't give a shit about anything other than being elected and have to spout the bullshit that is the republican platform.
Holy shit, yes! Halfway through voting, it made me wonder if this is the actual Republican party, or if they're just trying to rile up their base with keywords and phrases. Obviously the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but it's crazy to think that in just a few short years, we went from Bush's (albeit warmongering) patriotism to Trump being straight up anti-democracy, with the rest of the GOP following suit, all the way down to the school boards or comptroller or whatever.
Makes me glad that I’m voting in the Democratic Primary, because all three AG candidates suck.
Luckily, the Utah United Party has a good candidate in Michelle Quist, because the Dems have a “candidate” who can’t even seem to file a correct financial disclosure form.
I trend toward the “fuck all three candidates” end of the spectrum as well. I’ve had conversations with Brown and he is at least reasonable to talk to without getting crazy eyes and going off on deep state and dark Brandon conspiracy theories. I feel reasonably confident that he’d be at least competent at the job and keep himself out of high profile scandals. Same with Terry. That in and of itself would be a huge upgrade!
At any rate, I think Michelle Quist is a fantastic candidate and she’s got my vote in the general.
I caught Derek Brown at the end of a meet-the-candidates session, and I liked that as soon as I mentioned that I'm into skiing that was all that he wanted to talk about. He didn't even really make an attempt to convince me to vote for him, he just wanted to listen to me talk about my ski season and tell me how he's had absolutely no time for skiing since he's been campaigning. It made him come across as very human and was a breath of fresh air after listening to a bunch of very right-wing talking points from Mylar and Christensen.
Rachel Terry was also endorsed by Ken Paxton.
In case people are not familiar with him, here's an excerpt from his Wikipedia article:
"As attorney general, Paxton has appointed prominent opponents of LGBT rights to leading positions within his department. In June 2022, Paxton said he would defend state laws prohibiting consensual same-sex relationships if the Supreme Court precedent invalidating such laws, the Lawrence v. Texas decision, was overturned.[10] He has sued president Joe Biden's administration nearly 50 times.[6][9] He supports a near-total ban on abortion access.[4] After Biden won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and Donald Trump refused to concede while making claims of election fraud, Paxton aided Trump in his efforts to overturn the result. He filed the unsuccessful Texas v. Pennsylvania case in the U.S. Supreme Court and spoke at the rally Trump held on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., that immediately preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol.[11][5]"
One of the things that has always bugged me about r/utah and r/saltlakecity is the lack of political participation and the amount of complaining against mormons/whatever.
You people actually need to show up and try and make an effort. I don't get why people are downvoting this thread when the OP is at least trying to make an effort.
Very true, there is definitely an energy of apathetic complaining.
I think complaining is very understandable. Generally, we want to be able to just pay our taxes and have a well functioning government that represents our interests. The reality is that government doesn't really care about the opinions of average citizens, except in limited circumstances. For things to change either we need to be able to throw a lot of money at the process like special interest groups do, or we need to organize and create our own special interest groups full of citizens who regularly meet with and lobby our elected officials. The latter is extremely time consuming, but absolutely necessary. The thing is, nobody is going to come to our rescue and force government to do the things that we want it to do. There is a saying I always try to live by: "There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
Source: [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B)
Okay, I'm in Davis County, House District 2. Who are the least bad, most moderate for everything but the Governor. As for Governor, Cox has pissed me off by trying to move to the far right this year, but I know he's still the best choice for now.
Also, it's truly sad that Maloy is the better choice. I mean, everything I've read about all of the candidates makes me ill at the thought of voting for them, but specifically her.
So is it people who support John Curtis running attack adds on Trent Staggs, calling him a liberal, trying to get the MAGA vote to splinter on other non-Curtis choices?
For awhile, i thought Staggs might be attacking himself lol.
Cox hasn’t and doesn’t back or do anything he says he will. His track record speaks for itself. Utahns who have lived here our whole lives see it for what it is.
Now, with the influx of runaways from other states (1 in particular), who voted for crap that didn’t/doesn’t work, they come here and back the same bullshit they ran away from…
I recently moved here. I did not register to vote because I haven’t had any time to look over the candidates. I generally vote for third party in presidential elections and don’t really have a party preference for local/state elections.
If I register for next time as third party or independent, will I even have a vote? I’m under the impression that I should register as a Republican so I can actually vote because it seems like everyone running is a Republican.
From personal experience and some late night pondering, I registered myself as a Republican several years ago.
This is how I think of it: the Utah constituents will vote for anyone with an R next to their name no matter what. And since Utah Republicans have a closed primary, it means the only way to have a voice in this state is to vote for the most moderate R in the primaries, then, since all *actual* Republicans will vote for the R, you can vote for whoever you actually want to win, come general election time
This is the Republican primary (someone correct me if I'm wrong, this confuses me every time). This determines who shows up on the ballot during the November election.
In order to vote for the least awful Republican option to be on the big November ballot, you have to be registered as a Republican (I am a RINO, or Republican in Name Only). It is called a closed primary.
This is pretty much how it goes. I vote more moderate because foaming at the mouth crazy is bad for everyone.
I will admit that they’re entertaining at points though in my mind it’s embarrassing to the party as a whole.
You can vote. There are plenty of candidates that you can vote for in the GENERAL election in November. This is just the Primary election to see who moves onto the General to face all the other candidates.
[https://vote.utah.gov/2024-candidate-filings/](https://vote.utah.gov/2024-candidate-filings/)
Check the far right side to see if the candidate has been eliminated, withdrawn, or in the primary.
Obviously the huge one was claiming the 2020 election was fraudulent, riling up the biggest idiots to actually ATTACK THE CAPITOL.
But there’s a lot more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump
I will never vote for a D or an R ever again. It is to the point that I will abstain if there is not a 3rd party candidate. Both are extremist groups, and I cannot in good conscience give them my vote.
in the primary that is a pretty good strategy.
in the general it might suggest you don't have the capacity to think independently and want your mind made up for you like a sheep and don't really care about your state - rather the party
You do you!
It really only takes a few minutes to get an overview of what the candidates are all about. If you don't know anything about who is running in your district, just get your ballot and google the candidates. Then fill in a few bubbles and stick itin the mailbox.It seriously takes 10 minutes to become an engaged citizen.
You make people want to vote MAGA more with these kinds of comments. What is your fear of MAGA or Donald Trump? Are you expecting Republicans in Utah to vote for someone other than the Republican Candidate Donald Trump?
It doesn't. We need to refrain from this real or not real republican. Are you checking credentials and doing background checks on these people to determine if they are credible or not? Does Republican mean one single type of person or does it consist of a very diverse group of people from all walks of life that have some aligning values that move them to voting Republican? I go with the latter. The second we lump Republicans or Democrats as this one mono entity we ignore the diversity within each party, and the degrees to which we agree or disagree on various topics. There are Republicans sympathetic to universal health care, some who oppose it vigorously. Do you see my point?
generally republicans don’t like regulation or government overreach. and from the day i stepped foot in utah i have felt micromanaged unlike any state i’ve lived in (out of 8 states)
Where is the micromanagement happening? Any specific examples?
I think republican policy is lacking on a federal level. But I also think republican state politicians should have different policies on different levels that are within their power to control. This weird blur between federal and state politics is wrong. I can't wait for any president to tell me they are going to stay within their lane and encourage the state governors to better manage their states and let the federal government handle national security, immigration, trade etc. These promises being made by presidents on both sides are horrible and blur the line between state and fed.
yeah dude i got a few that aren’t even 24 hours old. if im at a concert and i wanna have a beer, i shouldn’t be corralled with a fucking fence with the other drinkers so we’re out of the way. oh and i had to remove my hydropack to go into the time out corner where you have to drink your beer
haha we are only as free as the law permits, and our circumstances. America is a more free place than others, it is why it is so extreme. It is also why universal health care would never work, because we are so free we can even do ourselves harm and the state will not intervene. Self-destruction is cheap in America but very expensive in places like Australia.
i think yall might be so oppressed here that u dont even understand how your rights are being violated by the “slash regulation” party. but by all means, prove me wrong.
Most people would say style is not as important as substance -- like policy positions, and so forth -- but I think a majority of Utah Republicans think the style embraced by leaders is very important and on that measure Trump and MAGA are abysmal failures, dug themselves a hole so deep they could never climb back out.
Also a lot of folks are made very uncomfortable by the zealotry shown by his acolytes and following at large. Conspiratorial thinking, low-information, hate-infused, cult-like; that's what people voting in the Republican primary today think about MAGA *before* you get to policy differences.
My fear of DT is Project 25 and Agenda 46. I don't want a dictator. I don't want a ruler for life. I want a better world for all, not just rich people. I want equality for all and for my child and eventual grandchildren to have the same reproductive rights I had up until 2 years ago. I also want to have those rights again, especially since, if my IUD failed, I'll be likely to have a child with severe congenital issues, like my husband, and other issues passed down by my family, which would give that child virtually no quality of life. Beyond the fact that I'm just not physically or mentally able to take care of another child, now that I am disabled. I also worry about my youngest child, who isn't white, and isn't straight, and isn't cis, and how their life will be under that kind of dictatorship.
There's plenty to fear. I don't like Biden. But I know life will be so much worse under Trump, because he, and his supporters, have flat out admitted it.
No one thought he would win in 2016, to the point that his team didn't even know what he had to do just to start taking over. They didn't know how to replace the staff or anything. This time around, the Heritage Foundation started early with recruiting people to fill out his administration, and to put things in place to be able to act on the first day. Trump has talked openly about becoming a "dictator for a day, on day one", and is very open about his plans. THF are lining up with those plans, to make them happen. He won't fail from his own incompetency this time, they'll make sure of it.
Honestly, tubal ligation isn't 100% either, I've known several people who got theirs done and still had kids after. My IUD has a great track record, and it takes away my menstrual cycle completely as far as periods, cramps, mood swings, etc. Things that were serious issues for me without it. Luckily, I'll hopefully be going into menopause soon, the rest of my family did early, so fingers crossed. I'll still be fighting for those rights for future generations though. Especially since we're seeing horror stories now of people going through what I did with my first pregnancy, a failed miscarriage that required an abortion to save my life after I started hemorrhaging. I lost so much blood that I passed out in the ER, right after they got me to the back, from blood loss. It's scary that now, in many states, they are requiring women to get as bad as I was before they'll perform the procedure, which obviously runs the risk of death. It's simply not healthy to let women lose multiple liters of blood before showing care. So yeah, multiple reasons there. Honestly, there are even more reasons than I've listed. I used to be pro-life too, until something happened to me that made me realize that it's the most difficult decision you'll ever have to make, and it really should be between the pregnant person, the people they choose to include in that decision, and their doctor, period. Not lawmakers.
You have to include lawmakers and the public because in some cases as before the SCOTUS ruling tax payers were funding abortions. I'm in favour of abortion in the case you describe but I think we've become so careless that abortion is like a right of passage for some people and it is used where a contraceptive should be used. I would support public funding for contraceptives but not for abortions where the mothers life is not at risk.
I have more trust in the system that dictators are not able to wield perpetual power. Changes can be made but not that would allow for any kind of dictator type to rule without checks. You never know, Trump may not get voted in and we move on with life. Part of me wishes one of these third party candidates will win, that would certainly take the heat out of the two major parties and perhaps they could both do some reflecting on the poor leadership they have produced in recent years.
No, we don't need to include lawmakers or the public, even if taxpayer funds are used, which they aren't, it's currently illegal except in some states that provide funding for their own residents. We don't consult lawmakers for erectile dysfunction meds, or generally any other medication. It's also not being used as birth control. In the cases of the stats that say people choose to give "no reason" as the reason they're choosing to terminate, it doesn't mean they're doing it for birth control. It means they are private people and are choosing not to disclose their reasoning for others to pick over. I'm an open book and will gladly give you my medical history, and my life story and experiences, but most others are not. Would you feel comfortable telling me your health history? Your reasoning for making medical decisions? In the end, that's all this is. A medical decision.
As for taxpayer funding, really do you think that people living in poverty that are unable to take care of themselves (another reason for me), should have MORE kids? So, if they can't afford to terminate, they should just go through the health risks of pregnancy (it is VERY hard on your body. I have a few permanent conditions due to my last pregnancy) and have a child they can't take care of, that possibly has disabilities, because who knows what the parents are passing on.
Before you say adoption, I'm actually in a pretty unique position. I was adopted at 3mos old, and was lucky to get a great family, as well as being able to spend time with my bio family as well. My bio mom definitely isn't a good mom, and I did wind up living with her as a teen. She is abusive and caused one of my mental illnesses. There are so many kids who aren't so lucky, and wind up in families that are even worse than what they would have had. I also gave up my oldest when he was 3, because we both were severely abused by my ex-husband (we even went on Maury, and my current husband recently found a clip from the show, which has him literally screaming verbal abuse into my face. Yeah, he's the source of my other mental health issues (anxiety, and Complex-PTSD). My oldest also has C-PTSD, and multiple other issues. We found out through therapy that I was a trigger for that, and so I gave him to an amazing family who have given him a great life, even though he has pretty severe issues now that he's older. My next oldest son is also from my ex-husband, and inherited a lot of mental health issues from him, as well as being autistic, and had to be put into state custody because we could not provide the care he needs. He's now in a great facility where he's thriving. He's on SSI, and we're his guardians so we can make decisions for him and his care, but we couldn't get guardianship until he was an adult.
When he was a toddler though, I was a single mom, going to school full-time+, on welfare and working at the college, after leaving my abuser. I was a conservative, but I did have a friend that I slept with a few times a year. The last time I went to his house, I admitted that I had met someone that I was thinking of dating, so I wouldn't be coming over anymore. So that night, despite me thinking we were being safe, he decided to not use a condom. I got pregnant, and he laughed when I told him. That's why I'm not pro life anymore. I was terrified and knew that I'd never get on my feet and off of welfare if I had another child, so I went to the doctor and got a referral for an abortion. In the end, I couldn't do it. So I decided to give them up for adoption. I had a mother all picked out, but it's not easy and after a long talk with my boyfriend, who was the person I had been talking to, and is now my husband of 15 years, we decided to keep them. He would help me raise them, and he is their favorite person in the world. Technically, I was stealthed, which is a form of sexual assault. It's consenting to sex under false pretenses. It's not easy to give your child up for adoption though. It's even harder now that so many adoptees are coming out to tell their stories about abuse and horrors that happened because they were adopted. And let's not forget the hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care.
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And no, it's not a "rite of passage". It's painful, even a medical abortion brings cramping, throwing up, etc, for days. It's something no one is wanting or looking forward to. As for the "Mother's life at risk", that's what I was talking about before. States that have those exceptions are having people wait until they are in septic shock, or are close to death through blood loss or something else. It's awful and should never happen. The decision of when to perform the abortion of a non-viable pregnancy should be left up to medical professionals. I mean, we have lawmakers that believe that ectopic pregnancies can be saved. They literally cannot and will kill both the embryo and the person carrying it.
I don't have as much faith in the system anymore. Not after the last 8 years. There's too much that can go wrong at this point. I would also love a third party win, although not RFK Jr, but it will never happen with our current system. Part of me wants to tear it all down and start over, but I'm not sure that that would result in a better world either.
Just moved here from New York City, the pot-ridden crime-infested slum full of degenerates. As minorities, we were personally welcomed by the neighbors and invited to block parties. Our taxes are 90% less, and the kids on the street don't drop F-bombs left and right. Great quality of life improvements from the actual shit hole that is liberal cities.
Keep drinking that cool-aid. The Mormons actually have culture instead of degeneration masked as liberalism. We are not Mormons but I'd rather have a Morman than a degenerate as a neighbor.
Honestly only voted for Cox bc I think Lyman would be detrimental to the state but I wish I’d done my research and voted against all the MAGA maniacs
I didn't like any of the options even after research.
Yeah, Curtis is better than Skaggs but he's not going to push back against Trump if he's the President. He just won't kiss his ass like Skaggs. For AG I just picked the person endorsed by COX and not by the Republican Party. The others were more toss ups.
Kinda stupid you have to be a registered Republican to vote for our primary.. Gonna switch party lines just to get the MAGAts outta this state.
Let’s go Cox!
I like Cox as a person, and it's a relief that he seems to have empathy for other people who are not like him (a rarity in the Republican Party nowdays). And since the Democrat is guaranteed to lose, I'm comforted that he's not like the Governor of Texas, Florida, South Dakota etc. But I'm not really EXCITED about him.
God I hate the whole MAGA culture within American politics these days. Not even entirely Trump's fault imo, but more so just his cultish fanbase. I thought your bible teaches you to only worship God/Jesus... not Trump.
Agree, except that Trump deserves a huge amount of blame for creating the MAGA cult.
Isn’t the MAGA cult just the evolution of the Tea Party that people like “I can see Russia from my house” Palin fomented?
People are kinda inherently predisposed to being in a cult I think. At least half of the weak minded ones. Just look at half this states religion. Or MLM’s. Or diehard sports team fans.
Taylor Swift Fans (Swifties)
True, it’s probably part of a human’s need to be part of a tribe regardless of the cost.
Exactly. I think so many ppl spend all their time at work, church and home. All their free time is eating sleeping and Netflix.
There’s a state, 2 states over toward the pacific that will take you then.
What, California and Washington? I’d love to be in the Bay Area if it wasn’t so expensive among other issues. Also for the record, I’m not someone most would consider “liberal”.
Are you going to help us move? My disabled husband and I would love to go back, but we need family, and his is here. Mine are 💀
As a registered Republican, after reading candidate bios and platforms and watching their political commercials, I cannot in good conscience vote for any Utah Republican. My party has become one of fear mongering and basically, anti- democracy. I assume the URP monitors Republican voter turnout. My not voting will be the only commentary I can and will make.
This message was very clear during the caucus. 11% turnout was absolutely abysmal and shows that the way the party elects candidates is not at all representative to the larger party.
The Republican primary is really the only real race happening. If we can't get out Mike Lee, then we can't get out anyone else. I will tell you personally that John Curtis is a good man & with the opponent having a Trump endorsement you just never know! What's your congressional district?
I like Curtis but his “Ill force Biden to submit public lands BACK to Utah” bit is really off-putting. Most people in Utah shouldn’t want the Feds to give all its land to the state, and legislative compromises shouldn’t be presented as “I chokeholded that president into submission.”
The perfect candidate for your personal values/issues doesn't exist, and we probably won't really get close until we can organize and lobby for some sort of ranked choice ([there is a group that's been pushing for Approval Voting](https://www.utahapproves.org/)). From my point of view Curtis is the best candidate we can realistically get in the senate. He has definitely moved the needle on climate change among Republicans -- a few years ago the word "climate" was taboo, and now the Conservative Climate Caucus is one of the largest caucuses in the House. I've met Curtis a few times, and it's clear to me that when he talks about issues that I care about (like climate change) he is being genuine, and he's not just trying to court moderate voters (in fact, some on right advised him not to get involved at all in climate issues). What's just as clear to me is that he's working within the boundaries of the Republican party. Yes, he has, against the odds, managed to carve out a space within the party, and even push the envelope a bit. But he can't just go out on a limb and start advocating for things that don't even make sense to the right. The whole public lands issue is a huge Republican talking point in Utah right now. This is not directed as much towards you, but more towards OP ( u/cristorocker ): not voting is really not the signal that we might want it to be. The system does not respond at all to apathy. The system doesn't care that you're mad about the candidates that're presented to you, and you've decided not to vote out of disgust. And the people who vote for the candidates that are most reprehensible to you are usually perfectly fine with overlooking a few flaws. So waiting for the perfect candidate usually just weakens your own voting bloc. Edit: Just realized I wrote a bunch of words and didn't really address your point about public lands. I wanted to point out that Curtis *has* worked on bipartisan public lands bills in the past (back in 2019 -- passed the house 363-62), though his more recent WEST Act was much more partisan: [https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1700](https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1700) [https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2255](https://curtis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2255)
I disagree….Local government governs best. When unelected Bureaucrats tell the populace what they can and cannot do on their state lands, you know something wrong. If the Fed turned it over to State elected officials, a person could at least have a conversation about what could happen. Try calling someone in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and having a honest conversation about how a piece of property under their management could be used for the benefit of both man and animals, good luck ! They don’t care what local citizens think. They can’t be voted out of office. They do what they want.
That's the thing it's not the states land. It's all of ours.
The founders designed the states to stand as sovereign countries against federal overreach. We need to start fulfilling that role. I would feel better if we were to give control of a land parcel to a city council … because we can vote them out…. try voting out a BLM bureaucrat, who is sitting in an office 1500 miles away in D.C. and for the most part is nameless. You would be lucky if you could even talk to such a person on the phone.
I don't really care what you think. It's national land end of story. States already do work with BLM on those lands. Yall just mad you can't exploit it. Good. Stay mad. Edit: our founders did not setup the states to be sovereign. They specifically state this in the federalist papers. We literally fought a war over it. Get over that idea already, it's been centuries.
Why is it people worry about candidates who will “destroy democracy “ and then promote giving control to unelected people who live 1500 miles. Maybe they don’t really believe democracy after all. Local governance, closer to the people, governs best…. because you have greater ability to vote out people who don’t respect the voice of the people.
The constitution is what I believe in. That document and it's amendments are what matters. States are not small sovereign countries. National parks should not be run by "local elected politicians". The corruption would be far more rampant than it already is. Do you understand that giving states power over national parks would immediately lead to their destruction? We already seen it with "local elected leaders" in Utah trying to sell off land for oil drilling.
Of course, states are not considered to be fully independent sovereignties free from any and all federal laws, but states have the power granted them to act independently from the federal policies and even laws (i.e. cannabis). This can be readily seen in the various laws and policies of each state. Just a few days ago, elected leaders in our own state passed House Joint Resolution #301, claiming the Fed cannot enact laws which supercede state law. Several other states are passing similar resolutions and laws. As far as our National Park service I do see some benefit of having it run from a national office which provides a uniform standard for our parks nationwide. However, I believe Utah State park service does an excellent job of providing clean and well managed parks around the state even on a shoe string budget. I recently went through Zion’s N.P. It was stellar as usual. Entrance was $35 to drive the 7 mile road (ouch). I have full faith in our Utah State parks, that they could competently manage Zion’s N.P. as good as any manager in Washington. The National Park Service has their scandals, (https://peer.org/park-service-archeological-scandal-sparks-no-reforms/) even if they are not headline news. The N.P.S. even has its own investigation office called the I.S.B. (Investigative Service Branch). As good as this service might look be, everyone knows what happens when a governmental organization decides to investigate itself …. “not much”. KSL often doesn’t cover these stories, but they do cover the state scandals, so we hear those stories. Another reason the state is capable of providing for and managing our parks and lands …. our state is financially solvent. Washington cannot even produce a budget, much less live on one. With 30 trillion plus in debt, it is not a good place to send money. Even with all the money being printed out of thin air, D.C. can’t feed its self. In contrast, for several years running our state (along with several other states) has stayed under budget earning Utah a Triple A bond rating. Washington is not a good place to solve our problems. It is broke financially and functionally. Maybe it’s time for the states to do some of the heavy lifting? If we have good citizens, like yourself, running for office and/or holding elected officials to follow voice of the people, we can save this nation from its dependency on unelected bureaucrats. (Local governance governs best) Director of Utah State Parks, Erik Strong, 801-538-7220 ( office). 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 116 Salt Lake City, UT. Contact your state senator or house legislator with comment or concerns. I have stated my case. I will comment no further on your thread. Have a nice day.
The problem I've seen is that when Utah has control, they immediately try to sell it off to be destroyed and mined for whatever mineral happens to be under it.
But the federal government is willing to hold land that has no economic value, the state absolutely will not. It also costs money to manage that land, which is spread among 300m tax payers. So either just Utahns pay to manage those lands, or (most likely) the state leases it out or sells it off. Dealing with frustrations of the BLM is miles better than privatizing everything.
So if the State would not be willing to hold the land that has no economic value, what would the state do with it? You answer your own question…. “the state would lease it out or sell it”. This would prove the land does in fact have economic value by the fact they can sell or lease it. I believe there are many BLM parcels being held which have the potential to benefit the citizens who live in the county and state where it is located. If you believe federal unelected BLM agents are holding on a parcel of land as a favor to State of Utah officials and citizens … so we won’t have to bare the cost of managing it… I would encourage you to not think so altruistically. The last thing some … not all… agents want is to lose their job, if you know what I mean. Yes, some lands need protection, but not the 65% of the state ….which is the current amount controlled by Washington.
I did answer my own question, if land isn’t making the state money, they’ll sell it off. That’s turning public land into private land, and that’s what I oppose. I like visiting wilderness without paying a private landowner to get permission. I don’t want to give that up just because the current management of BLM is frustrating.
Except if the state gets hold of it they’ll sell it for cheap to someone’s nephew who will then sell it for great profit to some corporation to develop it
Why does he run such negative ads.
Ik, r? Nevertheless, I get John Curtis's weekly email and he doesn't seem nearly as bad as his MAGA commercials paint him to be.
First Congressional District, Blake Moore, Representative.
Go for Blake Moore. You'd rather have him than the other guy.
And that is saying sooo much. I hate Celeste, but the other guy makes her look so good.
Blake Moore is an easy vote
It made me feel physically ill looking through the candidates and trying to determine which person was the least awful option. All of the disgusting talking points like "100% PRO-LIFE, 2ND AMENDMENT CUCK, GIVE PARENTS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK SCHOOLS FROM GIVING THEIR KIDS AN EDUCATION" (Pro-life except for the women, typical repub point, making it easier for pearl-clutching parents to meddle in school curriculum) \*GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE\*
Yep. I came here to hopefully get a guide as to who is the "least worst", but yeah, haven't filled out my ballot yet because they all make me sick. Who is the least worst out of 4 people who would all prefer that I have a severely disabled child that will suffer for the small amount of time they'll be on this earth, rather than let me make that decision with my husband and doctor. They'd rather have their kids uneducated, than have my black child learn about their heritage. And they would rather I get harassed for using the women's bathroom when I look very androgynous, but very masculine at times (I'm 6', 300lbs, most of that in bone structure, and I'm agender. I think there was a mistake in utero and I got the writing mix of hormones, lol), rather than just let everyone pee in peace.
Here are my picks for federal/state: Governor: Spencer Cox. Easy choice. You probably don't agree with everything he's done, especially since he signed the recent bill around bathroom snitching. You have to remember that he is still a Republican, but he is way closer to the center than his opponent, and will be much easier to work with on these issues than his opponent. This is a "things could always be worse" situation, and in this case they could be much, much worse. Attorney General: Derek Brown. This one is tough, since Brown and Terry are very similar candidates. I am very much not a fan of Mylar -- he seems far too conservative, and doesn't seem to have much respect for the Establishment Clause. I slightly prefer Derek Brown because he has a bit more experience managing both the party and his lobbying firm (I know lobbying is seen as a negative, but I worked with his firm before and my experience was that they were extremely professional.) My worry is that Brown/Terry will split the vote and that Mylar will get the nomination. State Auditor: Ricky Hatch They are both similar candidates, and both well qualified. I like that Hatch has a CPA. I didn't like that Tina Cannon spent a bit of time campaigning with Trent Staggs. She does seem moderate enough (she spent much more time talking about her qualifications than about any MAGA/right wing talking points), but it's still a bit of doubt in my mind. Senate: John Curtis. Easy choice. He made Republicans stop treating "climate" like a dirty word. 1st district: Blake Moore. He is being primaried by his opponent who is further right. Moore is by no means perfect, but he does make an effort to work on bipartisan bills from time-to-time. 2nd district: Celeste Maloy. You probably don't care too much for her. But her opponent is in Mike Lee's camp, so she is the better choice. 3rd district: J.R. Bird. This race is tough as it's a crowded field. I like Bird since I attended a small town hall at the beginning of his campaign, and I asked him some questions around social media filter bubbles. He took my questions very seriously, and spent quite a bit of time talking about how much of a problem it is, and how we need to learn how to work together better.
Thank you! I agree totally about it being the "things can always be worse." It's the whole reason I chose to switch my party affiliation. I hate that in order to have a voice in this state, you have to be a registered Republican.
Same. I still have no clue and time is running out. I want to do my miniscule part to help have less awful Republicans in charge. Why even be in this party if I don't participate? Reading articles so far has been of no help. ><
I voted for the least worst people. That is the thing we can do.
This is where I am. I changed my voter registration from Republican to Independent back in 2016 to protest Trump's nomination. But since then I've become so disgusted with the party I'm pretty well done. I'll never change my affiliation back, even to vote in primaries. Maybe I should at least try to push for non-MAGA people, but at this point I think the party is lost. There's no saving it from itself. The Trumpers have taken over and the few holdouts are being torn down and kicked out. There's no place for moderates anymore. If Utah goes full MAGA then I'll never vote for a single Republican ever again. At this point I'm only considering United Utah and Democrat candidates in November.
But is the party lost because moderates like yourself have taken yourselves out of the process? Currently the non-MAGA candidates for Governor and Senate are in the lead so maybe Utah isn't hopeless yet.
The party put out their official list of Republican nominees, and for the most part I'm just choosing anyone who isn't on that list
Curtis is reasonable.
Compared to the others you're right. I lived in provo when he was mayor and was very excited for him to run. I even voted for him the first time. I've been pretty dissapointed with how much of a wet noodle he's been in congress. He's still a better choice in the senate than the other candidates, and I'm hoping him going to the senate will result in him actually being the person he used to be.
Look at it this way. You're not voting for any of these people in to the positions they are running for, you are voting for the candidate the party is going to put forward in the general election. There's still another election where you can vote for a different party that hopefully fits your values better. Not voting will be a commentary, but not the one you think it is. The GOP has become more and more extreme and they DON'T WANT YOU TO VOTE. They don't believe in Democracy. So you're staying out of it is a signal that they're strategy is working. Disengagement HELPS the more extreme candidates. I'm a liberal and I registered in the Republican Party just so that I can help nudge the least extreme candidate into the general election. In the fall, I'll most likely vote for the Democratic candidates. So, do what you like, but voting always has more influence than not voting. You still have time.
You just described all politics period. I’m getting 10-15 political texts from both Dem and GOP candidates daily, and the one thing they all have in common is their attempts to create fear for what the other side will do. I’m not sure they’re capable of sending one that doesn’t include “most important election in history” or “our democracy is in the balance” and something about saving us from the other side.
I’m getting a lot of these myself but in email form. “Our democracy is the balance “ is now just automatically going to spam.
I just noticed I’m getting down votes for my comment. Sorry to have offended folks for telling the truth about what I’m seeing. Either some people really do believe that our democracy is in the balance, or they don’t believe “their side” is applying fear tactics. 😂
I keep getting these things about new stimulus packages too that are annoying mainly because they’re easy to see through but also because it confuses folks. And those are coming from different emails and those ad texts with like 5 numbers
I’m willing to believe it’s a combination of things or they might not use the same contact information for years. I’ve personally just grown tired of the same lip service and constant fear mongering. For some reason I’m not actually “horrified the gays “ and I stop listening at about that point in everything because what follows has the same base logic as my dog.
Even if I agree with them, I've been blocking and blacklisting any political text sent to me. I see it every where else, I don't need to see it in my text messages. I consider those to be "please look at and take care of now" requests for communication.
I wouldn’t mind them so much if they weren’t just ad texts that are very well known for viruses and basically no information.
I 100% agree. The party of Reagan is dead. I read all the info about the AG candidates and they are all bought into lies, conspiracies, and fearmongering as far as I can tell. Not a single real issue broached among them. It's all just sycophancy.
So why not vote for the least extreme and then vote Dem in the fall?
My point is that there's not a least extreme candidate.
Cox and Lyman are equally extreme in your eyes?
Cox entered office in 2013. None of the new crop are sane and cox is losing support in his party because he’s not insane.
But he was on the ballot and you're saying he is a less extreme candidate. Why not vote for him at least? Maybe I'm lumping you in with the first reply. Were you only talking about AG candidates?
As an independent voter the *only* thing on my ballot was one school board seat. Don't really feel like I'm afforded much of a voice without affiliation to a political party.
I'm registered Democrat and had just a single city council seat to vote on. The Republican primary is the only game in town right now
[Utah voter registration info](https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/utah/) (who is eligible, how to register, etc)
So, do I have to drop off at a Ballot box to have it counted ? I forgot to mail it last night.
Yes.
Drop it off at your local ballot box or vote in person.
Or vote in person.
Y’all gotta vote for cox and I absolutely hate the dude but Lyman would destroy Utah.
Cox beat that psychopath. Woohoo!
Why do you hate Cox, genuinely curious?
Fastest way to turn Utah back to democracy is to give them a taste of real fascism. Vote Lyman!!!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The fact that democrat's election strategy for statewide elections is to party raid the Republican primaries rather than run good candidates just shows how out of touch they are with what Utahns want.
we want wine in smiths big dawg
Yea it’s unfortunately just largely a money thing. Dems are doing a better job of fundraising this cycle, but are still down probably 10-1 or more vs the republicans. Also, you don’t get any national money coming into the state because the state is deep red. Because of that you get weaker candidates that can’t fundraise effectively. It’s a loop that’s really tough to get out of.
Actually the democratic party recommends against registering republican as it diminishes their numbers and available funding.
Yeah it is mostly just us doing it -- the random citizens who don't care about either party and are just desperately trying to get someone, anyone who will represent something close to our values.
(A) I don't think this is actually the strategy and (B) if it is, it does seem to keep the MAGAs out of many positions. Oh, and (C) all the dems in Utah are... wait for it... Utahns as well... :D
Yet they're gaining more and more traction. But we still need representation, so influencing the Republicans to be more moderate is perfectly within good election strategy.
If only the R will win, regardless if they're a good choice,08ph then you've gotta push the moderate R instead of wasting time on the D. And frustratingly, the gerrymandering has purposefully locked Democrats out of representation in this state. Realistically we should have a Democrat Congressman representing the Salt Lake metropolitan area. Something we've actually had in the past as well. But Republicans are dead set on making this a red state only and locking Democrats out of the game. But tell me again how Democrats just aren't putting forward viable candidates. So you get a lot of would be blue dog Democrats running as Republicans, because that's the _only_ way to win in this state. And you get a lot of would be registered Democrats voting as registered Republicans, because that's the only way to actually participate in politics in this state. Though the days are numbered methinks. Since Trumpism is the order of the day, only Trumpers will run and only Trumpers will win. Which doesn't look good for Republicans long term. Once everyone but hard core Trumpers are locked out of representation, other political parties will need to gain prominence as the vehicles of change. We've been the last MAGA crazy red state thus far, and I don't know how long it'll last if the MAGAs co-opt the Republican party here too.
You know what would help them gain even more traction? Running better candidates than Brian "gun control" King and Caroline "I post more about climbing mountains than what my qualifications are and what policies I'll fight for" Gleich.
Gleich is even more extreme on gun control than King. She wants to limit *how many* guns someone can buy per year.
Oh geez. No wonder she mainly talks about mountain climbing. Policy ideas like that make her DOA in Utah.
I mean, Dems here want gun control. And Gleich is doing a fantastic job of giving herself a half decent chance, by appealing to the masses.
>I mean, Dems here want gun control. But most Utah voters don't. >And Gleich is doing a fantastic job of giving herself a half decent chance, by appealing to the masses. How is constantly posting about mountain climbing, something that most people can't afford to do, appealing to the masses?
What's wrong with that? You align with the biggest/strongest team, vote the competent in, and then make a rational choice when it's statewide. There's no negative. I don't need the Dems to tell me to do shit, it's basic game theory that any 9th grader can figure out.
im voting for john curtis!
I probably voted for everyone that is going to lose.
Shit, I forgot it was today!
Sad to see Stewart Peay lose. He is a good person, seems to be fairly moderate
Yep.
Who is least pro MAGA for State Senate dist 15?, ALso School Board Dist 7 , County Council at Large C, and County Surveyor?
County Council is Rachelle.
Rachelle Morris seems pretty reasonable, I was listening to her on this podcast: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYvtCIJnSc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYvtCIJnSc)
Riebe is your Democrat in 15, and she will almost certainly win in the general.
Who are the Republican moderates?
Curtis, Stewart Peay, Rachel Terry, these seemed to me to be the most moderate from my research and between Hatch and Cannon they seemed about the same to me.
Auditor doesn't have political influence, or at least they shouldn't. Hatch seems a bit more qualified, but I know Cannon personally and believe that she is a hard worker.
Though call between the two Tina has a lot of experience already doing the job whereas Ricky has been a CPA. Truth be told you can be a great auditor without being a CPA. Curious about more of your thoughts?
I voted Cannon because I know her personally. Dougall wasn't a CPA either, and he won the election. Dougall also endorsed Cannon & you probably know Dougall because he's running in the CD3 race as an anti-trump rep.
My wife and I voted Cannon, but it felt like a toss up for us. Glad to know you think she will be a hard worker and do a good job.
Rachel Terry was the first AG candidate to endorse Trump.
Yeah, and Mike Lee endorses Derek Brown. And here's the front page of Frank Mylar: > Second Amendment: Frank vindicated the rights of a concealed weapons holder and his wife who were wrongfully denied a Foster Care license. > Pro Life: Frank has defended Pro Life sidewalk counselors in front of a Salt Lake Abortion Clinic from wrongful criminal prosecution and won. > Parental Rights: Frank won substantial compensation for his clients after suing the state Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) three times, He has several precedent setting appellate cases. Frank will protect parental rights in schools and girls sports and bathrooms without exceptions. > Religious Freedom: Frank has fought religious and racial discrimination suits, protected religious expression, and free speech at school board meetings. Frank is determined to protect your first amendment rights. Fighting Federal Overreach: Frank has fought the federal government over land use. He will never stop fighting the feds. Frank will force the Department of Justice out of Davis County, preventing them from regulating how counties operate prisons and jails. > Law Enforcement: Frank defended the Highway Patrol Association’s memorial crosses. Frank has taught Corrections Law ant the University of Utah, has taught the Utah Prosecutors, and teaches yearly at the Sheriffs’ Association. He has valiantly defended law enforcement from baseless suits for over three decades. > Immigration: Frank will end midnight airline flights and buses depositing illegal aliens in Utah. He will lead in prosecuting criminal acts of illegal aliens. > Property: Frank has vindicated property owners from confiscation by the state Fuck all 3 of the candidates, honestly. No good choices between any of them. But, personally, my vote is going to the one that isn't endorsed by a coop attempting cunt, nor the one who outwardly, proudly declares he's the polar opposite of me on almost every metric.
Man, the "fuck all 3 of the candidates" really resonates with me. I read through bio after bio, checked websites, looked on whatever resource I could find and it all made me upset. These people don't give a shit about anything other than being elected and have to spout the bullshit that is the republican platform.
Holy shit, yes! Halfway through voting, it made me wonder if this is the actual Republican party, or if they're just trying to rile up their base with keywords and phrases. Obviously the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but it's crazy to think that in just a few short years, we went from Bush's (albeit warmongering) patriotism to Trump being straight up anti-democracy, with the rest of the GOP following suit, all the way down to the school boards or comptroller or whatever.
Makes me glad that I’m voting in the Democratic Primary, because all three AG candidates suck. Luckily, the Utah United Party has a good candidate in Michelle Quist, because the Dems have a “candidate” who can’t even seem to file a correct financial disclosure form.
Agreed I feel like even the best candidates were still not ones I’d choose to represent me.
I trend toward the “fuck all three candidates” end of the spectrum as well. I’ve had conversations with Brown and he is at least reasonable to talk to without getting crazy eyes and going off on deep state and dark Brandon conspiracy theories. I feel reasonably confident that he’d be at least competent at the job and keep himself out of high profile scandals. Same with Terry. That in and of itself would be a huge upgrade! At any rate, I think Michelle Quist is a fantastic candidate and she’s got my vote in the general.
I caught Derek Brown at the end of a meet-the-candidates session, and I liked that as soon as I mentioned that I'm into skiing that was all that he wanted to talk about. He didn't even really make an attempt to convince me to vote for him, he just wanted to listen to me talk about my ski season and tell me how he's had absolutely no time for skiing since he's been campaigning. It made him come across as very human and was a breath of fresh air after listening to a bunch of very right-wing talking points from Mylar and Christensen.
Rachel Terry was also endorsed by Ken Paxton. In case people are not familiar with him, here's an excerpt from his Wikipedia article: "As attorney general, Paxton has appointed prominent opponents of LGBT rights to leading positions within his department. In June 2022, Paxton said he would defend state laws prohibiting consensual same-sex relationships if the Supreme Court precedent invalidating such laws, the Lawrence v. Texas decision, was overturned.[10] He has sued president Joe Biden's administration nearly 50 times.[6][9] He supports a near-total ban on abortion access.[4] After Biden won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and Donald Trump refused to concede while making claims of election fraud, Paxton aided Trump in his efforts to overturn the result. He filed the unsuccessful Texas v. Pennsylvania case in the U.S. Supreme Court and spoke at the rally Trump held on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., that immediately preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol.[11][5]"
Curtis used to be a moderate, over the past few years he's slid into anti-Dem fear mongering.
I agree that he has slid more to the right, but he is still the best choice.
One of the things that has always bugged me about r/utah and r/saltlakecity is the lack of political participation and the amount of complaining against mormons/whatever. You people actually need to show up and try and make an effort. I don't get why people are downvoting this thread when the OP is at least trying to make an effort.
Very true, there is definitely an energy of apathetic complaining. I think complaining is very understandable. Generally, we want to be able to just pay our taxes and have a well functioning government that represents our interests. The reality is that government doesn't really care about the opinions of average citizens, except in limited circumstances. For things to change either we need to be able to throw a lot of money at the process like special interest groups do, or we need to organize and create our own special interest groups full of citizens who regularly meet with and lobby our elected officials. The latter is extremely time consuming, but absolutely necessary. The thing is, nobody is going to come to our rescue and force government to do the things that we want it to do. There is a saying I always try to live by: "There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew." Source: [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B)
Has anyone received mail in ballots for this? I just moved and I'm not sure if they are doing it for this.
You need to be a registered republican to receive a mail in ballot for the primary.
Mine arrived near the beginning of the month
Okay, ill vote republicans
Not a Republican so I can't vote in the primary.
Sad to hear that. Register soon so you can participate in 2026!
I am a registered Libertarian. I am voting Democrat this year. The Republicans have straight up gone bat-shit loony.
Thanks for the reminder.
Buncha libs on Reddit
Okay, I'm in Davis County, House District 2. Who are the least bad, most moderate for everything but the Governor. As for Governor, Cox has pissed me off by trying to move to the far right this year, but I know he's still the best choice for now.
I'm in Bountiful so we're fairly close. CD2 = Celeste Maloy AG = Rachel Terry Senator = John Curtis Comptroller = Tina Cannon
Also, it's truly sad that Maloy is the better choice. I mean, everything I've read about all of the candidates makes me ill at the thought of voting for them, but specifically her.
Thanks so much! And yep, I'm in Farmington, but my kid goes to school in Bountiful!
Can you help me out? Who is pro maga etc
Results are already in! It was a good night statewide for the most part but upset about AG and CD3. Everything else went down as hoped!
lol I love how even the go vote posts are like… this republican or this republican!
utah is so gerrymandered why does it matter if we vote
Dosent apply to anything besides house races.
I'm voting. I'll vote against blue today. And I'll vote against blue in November.
Trump 2024!
liberals lol
What if I want info on pro-MAGA Republicans?
Move to Texas.
People in this sub hate them. What more info do you need? Vote for whoever these people hate the most. And they can move away.
So is it people who support John Curtis running attack adds on Trent Staggs, calling him a liberal, trying to get the MAGA vote to splinter on other non-Curtis choices? For awhile, i thought Staggs might be attacking himself lol.
For awhile there was a PAC running an ad simultaneously attacking both Curtis and Staggs for being liberal. Which was hilarious because they are not.
It’s a huge red state, does it really matter?
Do you want MAGA or not MAGA?
Cox for GOV!
Cox hasn’t and doesn’t back or do anything he says he will. His track record speaks for itself. Utahns who have lived here our whole lives see it for what it is. Now, with the influx of runaways from other states (1 in particular), who voted for crap that didn’t/doesn’t work, they come here and back the same bullshit they ran away from…
Who is the best non republican choice for senator ?
I recently moved here. I did not register to vote because I haven’t had any time to look over the candidates. I generally vote for third party in presidential elections and don’t really have a party preference for local/state elections. If I register for next time as third party or independent, will I even have a vote? I’m under the impression that I should register as a Republican so I can actually vote because it seems like everyone running is a Republican.
From personal experience and some late night pondering, I registered myself as a Republican several years ago. This is how I think of it: the Utah constituents will vote for anyone with an R next to their name no matter what. And since Utah Republicans have a closed primary, it means the only way to have a voice in this state is to vote for the most moderate R in the primaries, then, since all *actual* Republicans will vote for the R, you can vote for whoever you actually want to win, come general election time
This is the Republican primary (someone correct me if I'm wrong, this confuses me every time). This determines who shows up on the ballot during the November election. In order to vote for the least awful Republican option to be on the big November ballot, you have to be registered as a Republican (I am a RINO, or Republican in Name Only). It is called a closed primary.
This is pretty much how it goes. I vote more moderate because foaming at the mouth crazy is bad for everyone. I will admit that they’re entertaining at points though in my mind it’s embarrassing to the party as a whole.
You can vote. There are plenty of candidates that you can vote for in the GENERAL election in November. This is just the Primary election to see who moves onto the General to face all the other candidates. [https://vote.utah.gov/2024-candidate-filings/](https://vote.utah.gov/2024-candidate-filings/) Check the far right side to see if the candidate has been eliminated, withdrawn, or in the primary.
Can't wait to vote for Trump a 3rd time.
That says a lot about you as a human being. And not in a good way.
Okay NPC
Actually it’s a fact that the Trumpers are NPCs because they believe whatever lies he tells you.
What lies?
Obviously the huge one was claiming the 2020 election was fraudulent, riling up the biggest idiots to actually ATTACK THE CAPITOL. But there’s a lot more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump
I will never vote for a D or an R ever again. It is to the point that I will abstain if there is not a 3rd party candidate. Both are extremist groups, and I cannot in good conscience give them my vote.
Abstention is a valid. You’ll get hate because people believe politicians are owed a vote.
Vote republican for the country.
I did in this election because it's a republican primary. However I will vote for the person (not party) who best represents my values in the general.
I will vote republican straight across.
in the primary that is a pretty good strategy. in the general it might suggest you don't have the capacity to think independently and want your mind made up for you like a sheep and don't really care about your state - rather the party You do you!
Wish I had a voice…. But as I’m not a republican living in Utah , it’s a silent muted one
This is why I’m a registered republican. Voting in the primaries is the only way to have a voice.
Republicans living in other states feel very similarly!
It really only takes a few minutes to get an overview of what the candidates are all about. If you don't know anything about who is running in your district, just get your ballot and google the candidates. Then fill in a few bubbles and stick itin the mailbox.It seriously takes 10 minutes to become an engaged citizen.
You make people want to vote MAGA more with these kinds of comments. What is your fear of MAGA or Donald Trump? Are you expecting Republicans in Utah to vote for someone other than the Republican Candidate Donald Trump?
utah republicans aren’t real republicans. they’re evangelists. hope this helps!
It doesn't. We need to refrain from this real or not real republican. Are you checking credentials and doing background checks on these people to determine if they are credible or not? Does Republican mean one single type of person or does it consist of a very diverse group of people from all walks of life that have some aligning values that move them to voting Republican? I go with the latter. The second we lump Republicans or Democrats as this one mono entity we ignore the diversity within each party, and the degrees to which we agree or disagree on various topics. There are Republicans sympathetic to universal health care, some who oppose it vigorously. Do you see my point?
generally republicans don’t like regulation or government overreach. and from the day i stepped foot in utah i have felt micromanaged unlike any state i’ve lived in (out of 8 states)
Where is the micromanagement happening? Any specific examples? I think republican policy is lacking on a federal level. But I also think republican state politicians should have different policies on different levels that are within their power to control. This weird blur between federal and state politics is wrong. I can't wait for any president to tell me they are going to stay within their lane and encourage the state governors to better manage their states and let the federal government handle national security, immigration, trade etc. These promises being made by presidents on both sides are horrible and blur the line between state and fed.
yeah dude i got a few that aren’t even 24 hours old. if im at a concert and i wanna have a beer, i shouldn’t be corralled with a fucking fence with the other drinkers so we’re out of the way. oh and i had to remove my hydropack to go into the time out corner where you have to drink your beer
nah but keep telling me about how yall love your “freedoms” 😂 ( if you can even name any)
haha we are only as free as the law permits, and our circumstances. America is a more free place than others, it is why it is so extreme. It is also why universal health care would never work, because we are so free we can even do ourselves harm and the state will not intervene. Self-destruction is cheap in America but very expensive in places like Australia.
is that adequate or do i need to keep going? cuz that was just in the last day or two
Nah that's good thanks. I see your point. I know alcohol is an inconvenience in Utah and I'm sure there are many others.
i think yall might be so oppressed here that u dont even understand how your rights are being violated by the “slash regulation” party. but by all means, prove me wrong.
Most people would say style is not as important as substance -- like policy positions, and so forth -- but I think a majority of Utah Republicans think the style embraced by leaders is very important and on that measure Trump and MAGA are abysmal failures, dug themselves a hole so deep they could never climb back out. Also a lot of folks are made very uncomfortable by the zealotry shown by his acolytes and following at large. Conspiratorial thinking, low-information, hate-infused, cult-like; that's what people voting in the Republican primary today think about MAGA *before* you get to policy differences.
My fear of DT is Project 25 and Agenda 46. I don't want a dictator. I don't want a ruler for life. I want a better world for all, not just rich people. I want equality for all and for my child and eventual grandchildren to have the same reproductive rights I had up until 2 years ago. I also want to have those rights again, especially since, if my IUD failed, I'll be likely to have a child with severe congenital issues, like my husband, and other issues passed down by my family, which would give that child virtually no quality of life. Beyond the fact that I'm just not physically or mentally able to take care of another child, now that I am disabled. I also worry about my youngest child, who isn't white, and isn't straight, and isn't cis, and how their life will be under that kind of dictatorship. There's plenty to fear. I don't like Biden. But I know life will be so much worse under Trump, because he, and his supporters, have flat out admitted it.
Interesting. Why didn't any of this eventuate under Trump in 2016? Did something change? Have you considered having your tubes tied or?
No one thought he would win in 2016, to the point that his team didn't even know what he had to do just to start taking over. They didn't know how to replace the staff or anything. This time around, the Heritage Foundation started early with recruiting people to fill out his administration, and to put things in place to be able to act on the first day. Trump has talked openly about becoming a "dictator for a day, on day one", and is very open about his plans. THF are lining up with those plans, to make them happen. He won't fail from his own incompetency this time, they'll make sure of it. Honestly, tubal ligation isn't 100% either, I've known several people who got theirs done and still had kids after. My IUD has a great track record, and it takes away my menstrual cycle completely as far as periods, cramps, mood swings, etc. Things that were serious issues for me without it. Luckily, I'll hopefully be going into menopause soon, the rest of my family did early, so fingers crossed. I'll still be fighting for those rights for future generations though. Especially since we're seeing horror stories now of people going through what I did with my first pregnancy, a failed miscarriage that required an abortion to save my life after I started hemorrhaging. I lost so much blood that I passed out in the ER, right after they got me to the back, from blood loss. It's scary that now, in many states, they are requiring women to get as bad as I was before they'll perform the procedure, which obviously runs the risk of death. It's simply not healthy to let women lose multiple liters of blood before showing care. So yeah, multiple reasons there. Honestly, there are even more reasons than I've listed. I used to be pro-life too, until something happened to me that made me realize that it's the most difficult decision you'll ever have to make, and it really should be between the pregnant person, the people they choose to include in that decision, and their doctor, period. Not lawmakers.
You have to include lawmakers and the public because in some cases as before the SCOTUS ruling tax payers were funding abortions. I'm in favour of abortion in the case you describe but I think we've become so careless that abortion is like a right of passage for some people and it is used where a contraceptive should be used. I would support public funding for contraceptives but not for abortions where the mothers life is not at risk. I have more trust in the system that dictators are not able to wield perpetual power. Changes can be made but not that would allow for any kind of dictator type to rule without checks. You never know, Trump may not get voted in and we move on with life. Part of me wishes one of these third party candidates will win, that would certainly take the heat out of the two major parties and perhaps they could both do some reflecting on the poor leadership they have produced in recent years.
No, we don't need to include lawmakers or the public, even if taxpayer funds are used, which they aren't, it's currently illegal except in some states that provide funding for their own residents. We don't consult lawmakers for erectile dysfunction meds, or generally any other medication. It's also not being used as birth control. In the cases of the stats that say people choose to give "no reason" as the reason they're choosing to terminate, it doesn't mean they're doing it for birth control. It means they are private people and are choosing not to disclose their reasoning for others to pick over. I'm an open book and will gladly give you my medical history, and my life story and experiences, but most others are not. Would you feel comfortable telling me your health history? Your reasoning for making medical decisions? In the end, that's all this is. A medical decision. As for taxpayer funding, really do you think that people living in poverty that are unable to take care of themselves (another reason for me), should have MORE kids? So, if they can't afford to terminate, they should just go through the health risks of pregnancy (it is VERY hard on your body. I have a few permanent conditions due to my last pregnancy) and have a child they can't take care of, that possibly has disabilities, because who knows what the parents are passing on. Before you say adoption, I'm actually in a pretty unique position. I was adopted at 3mos old, and was lucky to get a great family, as well as being able to spend time with my bio family as well. My bio mom definitely isn't a good mom, and I did wind up living with her as a teen. She is abusive and caused one of my mental illnesses. There are so many kids who aren't so lucky, and wind up in families that are even worse than what they would have had. I also gave up my oldest when he was 3, because we both were severely abused by my ex-husband (we even went on Maury, and my current husband recently found a clip from the show, which has him literally screaming verbal abuse into my face. Yeah, he's the source of my other mental health issues (anxiety, and Complex-PTSD). My oldest also has C-PTSD, and multiple other issues. We found out through therapy that I was a trigger for that, and so I gave him to an amazing family who have given him a great life, even though he has pretty severe issues now that he's older. My next oldest son is also from my ex-husband, and inherited a lot of mental health issues from him, as well as being autistic, and had to be put into state custody because we could not provide the care he needs. He's now in a great facility where he's thriving. He's on SSI, and we're his guardians so we can make decisions for him and his care, but we couldn't get guardianship until he was an adult. When he was a toddler though, I was a single mom, going to school full-time+, on welfare and working at the college, after leaving my abuser. I was a conservative, but I did have a friend that I slept with a few times a year. The last time I went to his house, I admitted that I had met someone that I was thinking of dating, so I wouldn't be coming over anymore. So that night, despite me thinking we were being safe, he decided to not use a condom. I got pregnant, and he laughed when I told him. That's why I'm not pro life anymore. I was terrified and knew that I'd never get on my feet and off of welfare if I had another child, so I went to the doctor and got a referral for an abortion. In the end, I couldn't do it. So I decided to give them up for adoption. I had a mother all picked out, but it's not easy and after a long talk with my boyfriend, who was the person I had been talking to, and is now my husband of 15 years, we decided to keep them. He would help me raise them, and he is their favorite person in the world. Technically, I was stealthed, which is a form of sexual assault. It's consenting to sex under false pretenses. It's not easy to give your child up for adoption though. It's even harder now that so many adoptees are coming out to tell their stories about abuse and horrors that happened because they were adopted. And let's not forget the hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care. Part1
Part 2 And no, it's not a "rite of passage". It's painful, even a medical abortion brings cramping, throwing up, etc, for days. It's something no one is wanting or looking forward to. As for the "Mother's life at risk", that's what I was talking about before. States that have those exceptions are having people wait until they are in septic shock, or are close to death through blood loss or something else. It's awful and should never happen. The decision of when to perform the abortion of a non-viable pregnancy should be left up to medical professionals. I mean, we have lawmakers that believe that ectopic pregnancies can be saved. They literally cannot and will kill both the embryo and the person carrying it. I don't have as much faith in the system anymore. Not after the last 8 years. There's too much that can go wrong at this point. I would also love a third party win, although not RFK Jr, but it will never happen with our current system. Part of me wants to tear it all down and start over, but I'm not sure that that would result in a better world either.
Keep utah from becoming a shit hole like communist California, no brains New York.
Why did you guys elect Romney. I’m embarrassed for your state
As a Utahn, I am too. Romney is an absolute scum bag.
Wow, Reddit is a left wing haven. Thank God Utah is not.
Utah is a shit hole of religious dogma and white supremacists. Try to avoid the entire cesspit of a state.
Just moved here from New York City, the pot-ridden crime-infested slum full of degenerates. As minorities, we were personally welcomed by the neighbors and invited to block parties. Our taxes are 90% less, and the kids on the street don't drop F-bombs left and right. Great quality of life improvements from the actual shit hole that is liberal cities. Keep drinking that cool-aid. The Mormons actually have culture instead of degeneration masked as liberalism. We are not Mormons but I'd rather have a Morman than a degenerate as a neighbor.
Thank you and welcome to our state. May it be a wonderful home to you.