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Robert Gehrke

Politics Reporter

Robert has spent more than 20 years primarily covering government and politics in Utah and the West, including seven years in Washington, D.C.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Travelers who had been scheduled to fly to Phoenix on Friday afternoon wait to retrieve luggage from their plane at the Salt Lake International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports, including Salt Lake City International Airport.

Salt Lake City airport halts all flights amid rare nationwide ground stop

By Jordan Miller | Palak Jayswal | Robert Gehrke | Addy Baird | November 14, 2026, 1:37 a.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) This photo from 2024 shows psilocybin, or magic mushroom, grow kits that were being sold by The Divine Assembly, a church that uses the mushrooms as sacrament in its faith.

Utahn says mushroom use was for a religious ceremony. The city busted him anyway.

By Robert Gehrke | Dylan Eubank | November 12, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Newly elected Rep. David Chappell discusses his legislative strategy during a Town Hall, in Provo, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.

How wild was the 2026 election? Utah County elected a Democratic Socialist. Here’s how it happened.

By Robert Gehrke | November 11, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) State Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, talks to activists in support of transgender rights during a 2024 sit-in at the Utah Capitol. Riebe is fighting back against accusations of workplace discrimination and harassment.

Riebe’s lawyer calls Utah Senate report into discrimination allegations ‘biased’ and unreliable

By Robert Gehrke | November 10, 2026, 4:46 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Michael Menssen at his first of two confirmation hearings before a Senate committee as a nominee to fill one of two seats on the Supreme Court, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.

A new Supreme Court justice signed the petition to repeal Prop 4. Now the plaintiffs want him off their case

By Robert Gehrke | November 9, 2026, 9:23 p.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a news conference announcing Mike Menssen and 5th District Judge Matthew Bell as his appointees for the Utah Supreme Court at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.

GOP losses in the Utah Legislature mean more power for Gov. Cox. Will he use it?

By Emily R. Anderson | Robert Gehrke | November 9, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Kathleen Riebe is shown before her announcement that she was dropping out of the 1st Congressional District race on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The report from an investigation into allegations against Riebe — and her counterclaim — was released Friday.

Investigation: Witnesses said Democratic Sen. Kathleen Riebe harassed and discriminated against staffers and interns

By Robert Gehrke | November 6, 2026, 8:55 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Blue wave propels southern Utah leader to Senate’s most powerful role

By Robert Gehrke | Samantha Moilanen | Brooke Larsen | Mark Eddington | November 6, 2026, 3:23 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep.-elect Ben McAdams, shown on election night, says Democrats need to deliver on the trust voters have placed in them.

Message from Democratic Rep.-elect Ben McAdams to Trump: You have a decision to make

By Robert Gehrke | November 6, 2026, 6:30 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Kathleen Riebe is shown April 11, 2026, when she announced she was dropping out of the 1st Congressional District race and endorsing Ben McAdams. On Wednesday, Riebe said she will not comply with a request from Utah Senate Democrats to resign her state Senate seat.

Utah Sen. Kathleen Riebe won’t resign, threatens ethics complaint after Dems called for her to quit

By Robert Gehrke | November 5, 2026, 2:05 a.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Braydon Nemelka of Millcreek, who shared his views on government corruption, is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026.

Deals in the dark, kowtowing to donors drove corruption-minded voters to seek change this election

By Robert Gehrke | November 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justice Jill Pohlman, shown in June, found herself under attack by conservative Republicans.

Despite being targeted by conservatives, voters keep Utah Justice Jill Pohlman on the bench

By Robert Gehrke | November 4, 2026, 5:13 a.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.

Utah voters shoot down controversial constitutional amendment

By Robert Gehrke | November 5, 2026, 5:33 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) First Congressional District Democratic candidate Ben McAdams celebrates his win with supporters Tuesday night.

I’m ‘going to fight’ for Utahns, Ben McAdams vows, as Democrats win a seat in Congress

By Robert Gehrke | Palak Jayswal | Isabel Meléndez-Rivera | November 4, 2026, 5:12 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Kathleen Riebe is pictured before announcing that she is dropping out of the 1st Congressional District race and endorsing Ben McAdams, during the Salt Lake County Democratic Party's convention at Highland High School on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

Utah Senate Democrats call on Sen. Kathleen Riebe to resign over alleged discrimination, harassment

By Robert Gehrke | November 4, 2026, 3:50 a.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) People drop their ballots off early at the Salt Lake County Government Center on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. The federal government has charged someone for voting in Utah while they were a lawful permanent resident and couldn't legally cast a ballot.

Trump’s Justice Department just announced scores of election-related charges, including a case in Utah

By Robert Gehrke | Emily R. Anderson | November 3, 2026, 12:09 a.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.

Here are 7 legislative races worth watching on election night

By Robert Gehrke | October 31, 2026, 2:08 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) People drop their ballots off early at the Salt Lake County Government Center on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.

After millions in ads, new poll shows huge shift in voters’ views on Amendment B

By Robert Gehrke | October 29, 2026, 7:21 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former state Rep. Trevor Lee, with his attorney, Kathryn Nester, makes his first court appearance Wednesday on fraud and forgery charges related to his effort to obtain a home loan.

Watch: Former Rep. Trevor Lee appears in court on fraud and forgery charges

By Robert Gehrke | October 28, 2026, 4:36 p.m.

(Photos Courtesy of Ben McAdams and Riley Owen) During their college days, both Ben McAdams, left, and Riley Owen were shaped by their time working in the White House — Democrat McAdams under President Bill Clinton, Republican Owen with President Donald Trump. Now the two are vying to return to D.C. as the next representative in the 1st Congressional District.

Years after their political paths wound through D.C., Riley Owen and Ben McAdams vie to return

By Robert Gehrke | October 28, 2026, 4:37 p.m.