Newly elected Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz became choked up on Wednesday afternoon as he appealed to lawmakers to find bipartisan cooperation.
The Hooper Republican’s election to the position by the entire House was merely a formality. The real election occurred about 24 hours earlier in the House GOP caucus, where Schultz defeated Rep. Melissa Garff Ballard for the gavel.
Even though he didn’t need any Democratic votes — Republicans hold a 61-14 supermajority in the House — Schultz extended an olive branch of sorts.
“Of course, I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from the majority caucus members,” Schultz said, “but beyond that, I also wasn’t to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.”
“We certainly don’t always agree and will continue to have points of contention, but time and time again, we find ways to set our disagreements aside and work together as a body for the citizens of this state,” he added.
Schultz was visibly choked up during his opening remarks as he urged his colleagues to reject the partisan bickering he has seen consume Congress and other states’ legislatures.
“I believe with all my heart that Utah has something special. We cannot and will not let the D.C. model of divisiveness and dysfunction enter this chamber like I have seen in so many other states,” Schultz said, his voice breaking.
It remains to be seen how accommodating Schultz will be toward his Democratic colleagues when lawmakers meet in January to begin the 2024 session.
Republicans have such an overwhelming advantage that they can roll over Democrats with little effort. That dynamic played out during the 2023 session when Republicans slammed through a pair of controversial bills on school vouchers and banning health care for transgender youth in the first two weeks of the session without a single Democratic vote.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson hugs Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, during an extraordinary session of the Utah House of Representatives to ratify Schultz as the new House speaker at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.
Schultz’s speech was light on what policy proposals he plans to pursue when the 2024 session gets underway in January. Instead, he offered a more aspirational vision for his upcoming tenure.
“We entered this arena to make a difference for the better. Four our communities, for our neighbors and for Utah,” Schultz said. “We dream big, we act bold, and we do the hard things to secure a bright future for generations to come. Colleagues, we will not skip a step or miss a beat, and I’m so excited to get to work.”
Wilson leaves the Legislature
Earlier in the day, Wilson met with media members for the final time, where he sounded wistful as he prepared to leave the Legislature after 13 years.
“The first day I was sworn in, I walked up the stairs to the House chamber and thought this would be for a few years. Little did I know that I would end up in this corner office for five years. All of my experience here on balance has been one of the most remarkable things that I could have ever expected,” Wilson said.
“Those are the musings of a soon-to-be washed-up speaker of the House,” Wilson joked.
“Well, maybe not washed up,” he quickly added, perhaps aware of the impact that phrase might have on his future political prospects. Wilson is retiring before his current term ends to run for U.S. Senate in 2024.