After seeing many troubling opinion pieces attacking Utah’s caucus system, I must correct the record. The recent criticism of Utah’s Republican caucus/convention system overlooks its foundational strengths and democratic values. The caucus system fosters grassroots participation, allowing individuals in their local communities to engage meaningfully in the political process. The alternative is primary elections dominated by media, money and outside influence. The caucus system, however, enables thorough vetting of candidates by delegates who represent their neighbors’ values and concerns.
The process ensures rigorous candidate vetting and accountability, preventing financially backed candidates from advancing without scrutiny. Delegates, like myself, critically examine candidates’ backgrounds, their loyalty to party principles and their commitment to Utah values. Additionally, the caucus system is more cost-effective than direct primary elections, reducing the financial burden on the state by being primarily funded by parties. This demonstrates fiscal responsibility and highlights the system’s efficiency.
Community building is another significant benefit of the caucus system. It promotes civic engagement, encouraging neighbors to deliberate on issues and candidates, strengthening societal bonds. This active participation in democracy is more meaningful than simply casting a vote in a primary. The caucus system also cultivates more committed and informed voters. Delegates are elected by their peers to be deeply invested in politics and spend time understanding candidates and issues, ensuring informed decisions. They are likely to communicate their findings through door hangers, emails, texts, social media posts and more in order to keep their neighbors well informed.
Despite criticisms, Utah’s caucus system has a proven track record of producing effective leaders. Sen. Mike Lee defeating entrenched incumbent Bob Bennett highlights how the caucus system can empower the people to challenge and change leadership. Lee’s victory against Bennett, who had a massive war chest and seemed impossible to defeat through a regular primary system, underscores the system’s unique ability to reflect public sentiment against entrenched interests.
Abandoning the caucus/convention system would make political shifts such as this nearly impossible. Some argue that the victories of Rep. John Curtis and Gov. Spencer Cox in the primaries highlight a disconnect between delegates and primary voters. However, had Curtis and Cox engaged more with delegates and represented their concerns better, they could have performed better at convention.
The recent primary saw unprecedented spending compared to prior elections, a trend that does not bode well for the future of politics in Utah. Outside super PACs poured millions into negative attack ads and mailers. This is not the Utah way. The Utah way values funding from within the state, ensuring that those who contribute are familiar with and supportive of our community values. The caucus/convention system candidates performed exceptionally well, especially in down-ballot races. Twelve out of 18 races were won by convention winners, and only six of 24 candidates who got on the primary ballot via signature gathering won their primary. This means convention nominees had a success rate of 25 of 31 or 80.6%. These outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness and relevance of the caucus/convention system in reflecting the will of engaged and informed voters.
Our unique caucus convention system has helped us elect policymakers who make Utah the best-managed state in the nation. Talk of discarding the caucus system is foolish. We should focus on educating our citizens on the strengths of our system and how it embodies democratic values of community involvement, thorough candidate evaluation and cost-effective governance. The more people understand the value of the system that has made our state so great, the more they will want to get involved, making it more competitive and representative. Utah’s GOP caucus/convention system is a testament to the power of grassroots democracy, and it is crucial to preserve and improve it for the future.
Gunnar Thorderson is a member of the State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party and a state delegate.