Within months of longtime state Sen. Daniel Thatcher of West Valley City resigning from the Republican Party in favor of the centrist Forward Party, he announced he would leave the Utah Legislature altogether. The young political party chose Thatcher’s successor, Emily Buss of Eagle Mountain, Thursday evening.
Buss was chosen in a poll the Utah Forward Party opened to all voters in Senate District 11, garnering 47% of the “approvals” in the five-way race. The election, conducted online, in person and via mail, allowed registered voters to approve of multiple candidates. According to a news release from the Forward Party, 1,324 people participated in the replacement poll.
Under Utah law, when a lawmaker leaves office mid-term, the governor appoints a replacement chosen by the outgoing legislator’s political party.
So Thatcher’s partisan conversion at the end of last legislative session ensured the Utah Republican Party — which he has publicly clashed with — would not be able to pick another, more conservative, senator after he announced he would step down in October.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, speaks as HB257 is considered during the legislative session at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.
Third-party state lawmakers are rare not just in Utah, but nationwide.
Thatcher was just the second third-party member of the Utah Legislature — the first was former Sen. Mark Madsen, who defected from the GOP to become a Libertarian in 2016 for the remainder of his term, which ended that year. Once sworn in, Buss will become the third.
The Forward Party said in a Friday news release that the open approval poll process was “the first time a political party has voluntarily opened a midterm replacement vote to all registered voters in a district, regardless of party affiliation, while also using Approval Voting for a state legislative selection.”
Voters in Senate District 11 will have the chance in November to decide whether to keep Buss, or elect a Republican, as they have historically.
“I am honored, surprised, and grateful to the voters of District 11 for placing their trust in me,” Buss said in a statement Friday. “Together, we will work toward common sense solutions that will strengthen our communities, support our families, and bring a brighter future for District 11 and all Utahns. There is a lot to be done. Let’s get to work.”
In a statement, Thatcher thanked the Forward Party for facilitating an “open, transparent, and historic process.”
“Serving the people of Utah for the past 15 years has been my honor, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership of my constituents,” he said. “Seeing every registered voter in this district invited to participate gives me tremendous confidence in the future of our community and its leadership. Congratulations to Senator Elect Buss and more importantly, to her constituents.”
Over the course of his nearly 15 years in the Legislature, Thatcher increasingly broke with the GOP on major votes — especially when it weighed proposals to impose restrictions on LGBTQ+ Utahns.
His impassioned speeches opposing bills that target transgender rights introduced and passed by the Republican supermajority year-after-year have drawn national attention.
In this year’s legislative session, Thatcher voted against GOP-backed bills that would facilitate the deportation of legal migrants who commit misdemeanors and another banning pride flags from government property. And the senator was one of two Republicans in 2024 who voted against amending the Utah Constitution to let legislators repeal citizen-passed ballot initiatives.