Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, the only member of the Utah Forward Party in the Utah Legislature, announced his resignation late Tuesday, saying he plans to step down ahead of the general legislative session that starts in January. A former Republican who lives in West Valley City and represents a large district covering the west side of the Salt Lake Valley and other parts of the state, Thatcher was a frequent voice of dissent within the GOP Senate caucus and a thorn in the side of majority leadership before he left the party for the new Utah Forward Party in March. The Utah Forward Party will now move forward to select Thatcher’s replacement in accordance with state law, leaders said Wednesday. Thatcher would have been up for reelection next year, so the replacement will serve until this term ends, in January 2027. In a social media thread announcing his decision to step down, Thatcher said he won a district “nobody thought would vote for a conservative” by “listening and respecting voters from all parties.” Thatcher was first elected in 2010 and said he had served “more than half” of his adult life in office. “I am rightfully proud of the work I’ve done, the friends I’ve made, the votes I’ve cast and for always keeping my word, no matter the cost or difficulty,” he wrote on X. “My first obligation is not to any political party, but rather to my constituents. To give them the best outcome, I am announcing my intention to resign prior to the next general legislative session.” In an interview with KSL, Thatcher elaborated on his decision to resign, citing his reasons for leaving the Republican Party earlier this year. At the time, the state senator said lawmakers had become increasingly disconnected from voters and traditional conservative principles. “It’s getting worse, not better,” Thatcher said Wednesday. “When you look at how the majority has acted with regards to redistricting — with regards to allowing people a meaningful vote in who represents them — you really can’t pretend we have a republic anymore." He also said his decision to step down was made easier knowing there would be a “good election process” to find his replacement within the Utah Forward Party. Thatcher did not say when he plans to formally resign. Besides clashing with GOP leadership, Thatcher has also struggled with his health. He suffered a stroke in late 2022 and has dealt with the effects of that since then. During an emotional debate on the Senate floor over a bill restricting transgender-related surgeries and treatments for minors in 2023, Thatcher wore a neck brace and said he attended the session “against doctors’ orders.” Thatcher, who emerged as a strong LGBTQ+ advocate within the GOP, spoke against the bill. The Senate briefly paused its work while he sat hunched over in his seat, though Thatcher later said he was trying to “manage my heart rate” and was not having a “medical issue.” Asked if his health played a role in his resignation decision, Thatcher said, “I really don’t want to talk about my health. It’s really nobody’s business.” A spokesperson for the Utah Senate majority leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Thatcher’s decision to step down. In a news release, the Utah Forward Party said applications to fill Thatcher’s seat would be accepted through Nov. 11. Candidates need to affiliate with the party by that date. A winner is expected to be announced on Dec. 12. The process will include a debate and a ranked-choice preference poll that will be conducted online. The online poll will be open to all voters in Senate District 11, not just Utah Forward Party members, a departure from the typical process where party delegates choose replacements. Phil Boileau, communications director for the Utah Forward Party, said he knows the online voting process won’t “be everybody’s cup of tea,” but said the private process of filling a vacancy — state law gives parties discretion to set methods to elect a replacement — gives the party an opportunity to pilot a novel method of voting that will give more voters a chance to be heard. “We are heading in a direction where we can sort of assure the people of the United States that there are secure online voting methods,” he told KSL Wednesday. “They’re just new, and so we have to try to introduce these.” The party will verify voter registration and residency within the district by comparing identities with the voter file, though it is still working through some of the specifics and looking at how to ensure voters who have marked their information as withheld can still participate, Boileau said. For more information about the process to fill the Senate District 11 seat, visit 11chooses.com. “I worry about my constituents,” Thatcher told KSL. “I worry what’s going to happen if there isn’t anyone that is still speaking from a place of conservative principles, and I believe that the Forward Party is more likely to put forward an actual constitutional conservative — a small government patriot — than the GOP.”
