SALT LAKE CITY — Armed with a new congressional map and a Salt Lake County-centric district that could put another Democrat in Congress, the Democratic National Committee is looking to give Utah some attention.
"We believe this is a critical seat to help win back the U.S. House majority and there’s great opportunity here," DNC Chair Ken Martin said in an interview Sunday with FOX 13 News.
Martin flew into Salt Lake City to meet with Utah Democratic Party leaders and spoke at a fundraiser dinner. With Republicans controlling the U.S. House of Representatives by a razor-thin majority, Martin said the new congressional map and changing demographics in the state have given Democrats a chance to move the reliable red state into "purple" territory.
"Investments in Montana have made that more of a purple state. Colorado, which used to be a red state, is now a blue state. New Mexico 10 years ago was a fairly red state, is now completely blue. Arizona and Nevada, right?" Martin said. "We believe Utah is that next sort-of frontier for us. We know given how fast-growing the population is, there’s opportunities here if we organize."
Utah's congressional districts were re-drawn as part of the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government's lawsuit against the Utah State Legislature, alleging they improperly overrode Prop. 4, the citizen ballot initiative for independent redistricting and implemented a map that was gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The new map has withstood appeals and legal challenges and appears to be in place — if only for this election cycle.
Turning Utah purple will require money and investments, something that has been promised to Utah Democrats in previous election cycles but never really materialized.
"Scarce resources require tough choices," Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King conceded of past promises of support. "There’s no question about that and there are states that are more purple and in the mix than Utah now."
But King believes the new congressional district is an opportunity and Democrats are organizing statewide while the DNC has focused more on flipping red states. When it comes to down-ballot races, King said Democrats are running even in areas where it is an uphill battle.
"This year, in this election, 90% of those races have been filled with a Democrat to give people outside Wasatch Front a choice," he said.
But the First Congressional District, which has seen a crowded field of Democrats file to run, appears to be a prize to win for the DNC. Martin also said the Second Congressional District could be vulnerable in their efforts to make Utah "purple." That's the district that Congressman Blake Moore, who is in House Republican leadership, has filed to run for re-election in.
"That’s an emerging target for us," Martin said. "Certainly it’s not on our target list for this year, but it’s a place we need to start organizing in because given how fast the population is changing and what’s fueling it is an emerging target for sure."
Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson told FOX 13 News that he welcomed the competition, but believed the DNC's platform doesn't appeal to most Utahns.
"Bring it on," he said Monday. "Let’s hear the ideas they have and we’ll continue to advocate for how best we believe the Utah Republican Party and the principles and platform that it espouses are in step with what the people of Utah want."
Both parties are actively organizing for Tuesday's caucus night. That's where the political parties choose precinct, county and state delegates who pick party nominees. Caucus events are happening all over Utah. To find out where to caucus as a Democrat, click here. To find out where to caucus as a Republican, click here. To find out how to caucus as a member of the Forward Party, click here. For information on the Constitution Party of Utah caucuses, click here. For information on the Independent American Party caucuses, click here.
