SALT LAKE CITY — As ballots continue to be counted from this year's election, some preliminary voter data shows only two places in the nation may have resisted the nationwide red wave — Washington state and Utah.
You read that right: Utah.
"Almost all counties in the nation shifted to the right. However, in Utah it seems like we either stayed pretty even or that Vice-President Harris garnered more Democratic votes. We’re still trying to sort through things, but it’s interesting that she got a higher vote percentage than any Democratic candidate for president since LBJ won the state in 1964," said Morgan Lyon Cotti, the deputy director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics.
To be clear: Utah remains a reliably Republican state. From the presidency on down, Republicans dominated the elections. But Democrats have held on to their legislative seats (and may pick up one depending on how some close races shake out). Voter data from previous election cycles does signal Salt Lake County, which is the state's most populous, has tilted a little further to the left. Harris also won Summit and Grand counties. The Financial Times has been tracking national voting trends and currently lists Utah as holding steady (if not skewing slightly to the left).
"Being a Democrat in Utah doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as being a Democrat in New York or California. We are a red state and that means we have to meet voters where they’re at a lot of the time," Mason Hughes, the communications director for the Utah Democratic Party, told FOX 13 News on Friday.
The preliminary data is raising eyebrows and has surprised even some Utah Democrats still smarting from Vice-President Kamala Harris' defeat. But Hughes said Utah Democratic Party volunteers and candidates honed in on some key topics here that may not have been focused on as much in other states.
"We have been calling voters, we’ve been knocking on the doors of voters and we’ve been talking about the issues voters care about," he said. "We have been talking about the cost of living, we’ve been talking about politicians not listening to voters and we’ve been talking about education."
Utah bucking the national trends has caught the attention of the Democratic National Committee, Hughes said.
Cotti said the slight bump to the left may also be about one particular candidate.
"This may be unique in this election just to 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 speaking that is still far lower than you’d expect a Republican candidate to get in the state."
The Utah Republican Party said it remains to be seen if the trend holds. Party chair Rob Axson told FOX 13 News on Friday that last-minute voters have tended to favor Republicans, so he would not be surprised to see a shift back toward Republicans with the remaining ballots coming in.
"It's a moving target and we're confident that when it's all said and done and ballots are counted we will remain trending Republican and things will look even stronger," Axson said.
Utah has seen a lot of people moving in, but Cotti said it may take a few election cycles to know if this is an aberration or a trend toward a "purple" state.
"You always have to take time before you read 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 party it’s about how they’re geniuses. It usually takes one or two election cycles to truly understand where the directions are going. This could be the start of a blue trickle. I know those Democrats are really hoping it is. I know Republicans say it’s just a point, it’s no big deal."
