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Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are planning to stop in Utah this month as part of a multistate tour to unify Democrats, the party's Utah chairman said.

Though the exact date and venue of the visit have not been announced, state party Chairman Peter Corroon said Utah Democrats are "honored and excited" about the plan.

"Their efforts will help strengthen the Democratic Party nationwide and help further the middle-class agenda," Corroon said Friday evening. "We've seen a lot of Democrats wanting to get involved after the presidential election, and I think the Tom Perez and Bernie Sanders visit will help keep them motivated for the races in 2018."

The heated 2016 presidential primary between Sanders and Hillary Clinton divided party members into liberal and centrist wings, illustrated recently in the DNC chair race between Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison and Perez, CNN reports. Sanders publicly backed Ellison over Perez in February, but the tour aims to mend the division and refocus Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

During the campaign, Sanders held multiple public rallies in the Beehive State, while Clinton — ultimately chosen as the party's candidate — visited the state for an exclusive event for donors.

The weeklong tour is tentatively slated to begin April 17 in Maine, according to CNN, with stops in Florida, Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Nebraska and Utah.

mnoble@sltrib.com

Twitter: @mnoblenews