‘Blue ray’ against the red wave? Utah may be slightly skewed to the left

SALT LAKE CITY — With ballots still being counted from this year’s election, preliminary voter data shows only two places in the country may have bucked the nationwide red wave: Washington state and Utah.

You read that right: Utah.

‘Almost all counties in the country have moved to the right. In Utah, however, it appears that we have either remained relatively flat or Vice President Harris has garnered more votes. We’re still trying to sort things out, but it’s interesting that she has a higher voting percentage than any Democratic candidate for president since LBJ won the state in 1964,” said Morgan Lyon Cotti, deputy director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.

To be clear, Utah remains a reliably Republican state. From the presidency on, Republicans dominated elections. But Democrats have kept their seats in the Legislature (and may be able to gain one, depending on how some close races shake out). Voter data from previous election cycles suggests that Salt Lake County, the state’s most populous, has tilted slightly further to the left. Harris also won Summit and Grand counties. The Financial times has been monitoring national voting trends and currently reports Utah remaining steady (if not slightly skewed to the left).

“Being a Democrat in Utah is not necessarily the same as being a Democrat in New York or California. We are a red state and that means we have to meet voters where they tend to be,” Mason said. Hughes, the communications director for the Utah Democratic Party, told FOX 13 News on Friday.

The preliminary numbers are raising eyebrows and have even surprised some Democrats in Utah who are still reeling from the defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris. But Hughes said Utah Democratic Party volunteers and candidates have delved into some important issues that may not have been given as much attention in other states.

“We’ve been calling voters, we’ve been knocking on voters’ doors and we’ve been talking about the issues that voters care about,” he said. “We’ve talked about the cost of living, we’ve talked about politicians not listening to voters and we’ve talked about education.”

Utah’s bucking of national trends has caught the attention of the Democratic National Committee, Hughes said.

Cotti said the slight bump to the left could also be about a particular candidate.

“This could be unique in this election, just for the presidency. Utahns have always struggled with Donald Trump,” she said. “In 2016, he didn’t even get a majority of the state. He will get 58% or 59% this election, but historically that is still much lower than you would expect from a Republican candidate in the state.”

The Republican Party of Utah said it remains to be seen whether the trend will hold. Party Chairman Rob Axson told FOX 13 News on Friday that voters are favoring Republicans at the last minute, so he wouldn’t be surprised if there is a shift back to Republicans as the remaining votes come in.

“It’s a moving target and we are confident that when all is said and done and the votes are counted, we will remain Republican popular and things will look even stronger,” Axson said.

Lots of people have moved into Utah, but Cotti said it may take a few election cycles before we know if this is an anomaly or a trend toward a “purple” state.

“You should always take your time before reading too much into anything. After the election, especially the week after the election for the losing party? It’s the ‘coulda, Woulda, Shouldas,'” she said. “For the winning side, what matters is that they are geniuses. It usually takes one or two election cycles to really understand where things are going. This could be the start of a blue trickle. I know those Democrats really hope this is the case. I know the Republicans say it’s just an issue, it doesn’t matter.”