SALT LAKE CITY — Michelle Quist isn't surprised to see billionaire Elon Musk threaten a new political party.
The chair of the newly-formed Forward Party of Utah said she is seeing increased interest as voters are dissatisfied with political extremes.
"We are seeing increased interest in this political movement of reform and accountability in politics. Nobody likes a supermajority of legislators who don’t listen to political moods," Quist told FOX 13 News on Monday. "And nobody likes a political system that doesn’t listen to Utah voters."
The Forward Party of Utah was created in a merger between the centrist United Utah Party and the Forward Party. The group intends to run political candidates in races across the state. It currently has one member in the Utah State Legislature: Sen. Daniel Thatcher, who represents the West Valley City area. He quit the Utah Republican Party on the last day of the 2025 legislative session, declaring to FOX 13 News: "I don't have to be part of the crazy-making anymore."
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But Quist, who ran for Utah Attorney General herself on the United Utah Party ticket (before being elected Forward Party of Utah Chair in the merger), questioned if Musk has the longevity. The threats for Musk's "America Party" have come from Musk's apparent dissatisfaction with the "Big, Beautiful Bill" in Congress and his ongoing feud with President Trump.
"Top-down parties don’t last. What does last is grassroots movements that are built on principles that people share," she told FOX 13 News, adding that her party advocates for things like accountability in government and ranked choice voting.
But Musk certainly has the potential to upset the political system, if he follows through with threats he's made on X.
"This is a little bit like back in the '90s when you had Ross Perot," said University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank, referencing the independent presidential candidate (who actually came in second in Utah, losing to George Bush).
Third parties typically do not fare well in the United States, he said, because of the nature of the electoral system.
"Finishing second doesn’t get you anything," he said.
But Musk's money and his willingness to spend it in politics could make things interesting, Burbank pointed out.
"I think at the moment, if you had a well-financed third party that had a clear identity and could appeal to voters? Something might happen there," he said.
What remains to be seen is who the "America Party" — if it actually happens — could attract. President Trump has maintained his control as leader of the Republican Party. But given the state of Congress? It has the potential to hurt.
"The Utah State Legislature? If four or five people were to change parties? It would hurt Republicans, but they still have the majority. They’re going to continue on without any real problem," Burbank said. "At the national level now? If they were to lose ten members, it would sink them."
While Republicans continue to dominate politics in Utah, there have been occasional breaks for third parties. Perot was one example. Another is 2022, when Utah Democratic Party delegates opted not to advance a U.S. Senate candidate and backed independent Evan McMullin's bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee.
Utah GOP Chair Rob Axson did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment on Monday.
"We haven’t seen a third party be successful, in either national or Utah level, in decades. If Elon wants to try, good luck," Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King said in a text message to FOX 13 News. "But I think people’s energy is better spent in trying to elect candidates in one of the two major parties where candidates will almost invariably end up being elected. What third party candidates are more likely to do is fracture one of the two parties more than the other and act as a spoiler."
Quist said voters are tired of polarizing politics and want parties that represent their needs.
"They don’t want 'my way or the highway,' they just want a solution," she said. "People are tired of fighting. People are tired of, 'No, we’re not going to find a solution unless you do it my way.' People want a solution."
