Utah News Dispatch
Left-leaning national group is targeting these Utah legislative districts for 2026 election
Members of the House of Representatives work at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
The national group Vote Save America — an online voter guide operated by the left-of-center political media company Crooked Media — is partnering with a Utah political action committee to recruit progressive candidates and target certain “swing” legislative districts currently controlled by Republicans.
Vote Save America is partnering with Elevate PAC (which is affiliated with Elevate Campaign strategies, a Utah-based political consulting firm) to “actively recruit candidates” for the Utah Legislature ahead of the 2026 elections, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
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“Backed by an initial $20,000 investment from Vote Save America, Elevate PAC is already recruiting candidates in key swing districts who are ready to bring new energy and leadership to the state Legislature,” the announcement said.
The “targeted” legislative districts include eight seats in the House and two in the Senate, both of which have been dominated by Republicans for decades. All but one district include areas concentrated in Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populated county. They include:
- House District 10, currently held by Rep. Jill Koford, R-Ogden
- House District 26, currently held by Rep. Matt MacPherson, R-West Valley City
- House District 27, currently held by Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns
- House District 36, currently held by Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville
- House District 39, currently held by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan
- House District 42, currently held by Rep. Clinton Okerlund, R-Sandy
- House District 43, currently held by Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy
- House District 44, currently held by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan
- Senate District 18, currently held by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton
- Senate District 19, currently held by Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Draper
Vote Save America is the political advocacy arm of Crooked Media, a media company founded by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, who were all aides to former President Barack Obama, according to Influence Watch. The company hosts podcasts including Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, and encourages listeners to support progressive policies and vote for Democratic candidates.
The national group is “betting on Utah’s shifting political landscape,” Tuesday’s news release said. “Long considered safely Republican, Utah is showing signs of becoming competitive in the coming years.”
Utah during the 2024 presidential election remained solidly red. About 59.4% voted for President Donald Trump and 37.8% voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to election results.
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Democrats have a stronghold in Utah’s capital of Salt Lake City and some areas including in Salt Lake County, but they have struggled to gain traction in other parts of the state.
“Utah is uniquely positioned for change,” Shaniqua McClendon, vice president of politics for Crooked Media, said in a prepared statement. “It’s the youngest state in the country, one of the fastest-growing, and the most college-educated red state. No state in the nation has moved further to the left over the past 20 years than Utah. There’s an independent streak here that national politics has ignored for too long.”
Gabi Finlayson, principal at Elevate PAC, said the partnership with Vote Save America “gives us the resources and reach to go find the people who’ve been shut out or ignored — people with real stakes in their communities, not just the usual insiders.”
“This initial $20,000 is going directly toward identifying and vetting potential candidates,” Finlayson said. “We’re grateful to have a national partner that sees Utah the way we do: a real opportunity to build something different, right now. If you’ve never run for office before, if you’ve felt written off or overlooked, this is your chance.”
Elevate PAC referred to its website for more information about 2026 recruitment efforts and encouraged interested candidates to connect by emailing info@elevateutahpac.com.
Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Axson, in a prepared statement issued Tuesday afternoon, defended the GOP incumbents.
“These Republican legislators are being targeted because they’ve stood strong for Utah values: liberty, family, and life,” Axson said. “Out-of-state PACs don’t represent Utahns. Their record is one of California money trying to buy influence rather than the record of accomplishment and service our Republican legislators provide. We’ll proudly defend our Utah legislators and keep fighting for the principles that make Utah strong.”
