How Complete Is the Trumpification of Utah's GOP?

Published April 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM MDT

The Utah Way is built on compromise and collaboration, and for years it has defined the Utah Republican Party's approach to legislating. But can the state GOP sustain its ways in the face of Donald Trump’s hold on the party?

Utah’s Republican Party has distinct roots, and they extend from the state’s religious history. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ position on family values, as well as social and cultural issues, led to the GOP claiming a definitive majority in the 1970s. Despite this, the so-called Utah Way persisted, aiming to find compromise and collaboration on issues often marred by polarization in other states. And then came Donald Trump. His ascendance and domination of the Republican Party raises questions about whether the Utah Way can — or even does — exist anymore.

GUESTS-

Benjamin E. Park | Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University. His YouTube channel is Professor Benjamin Park.
Rod Decker | Former TV reporter from KUTV-Channel 2 | Author of “Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room”
David Magleby | Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Brigham Young University
Becky Edwards | Former Utah State Representative | Founder of Governing Group PAC

Airdate: Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 9 a.m. Sat. April 12, 2025 at 11 a.m.