During more than two decades in the Legislature, J. Stuart Adams revamped how Utah pays for roads, expanded charter schools, sponsored criminal justice reforms, created first-time homebuyer assistance and — as he often said — “cut taxes again, again, again, again, again and again.”

Every chance he got, Adams touted Utah’s No. 1 rankings from places like the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council and U.S. News & World Report.

Now, as Utah’s second-longest-serving Senate president ever — and the man called by many insiders “the most powerful person in state government” — enters lame-duck status after losing his primary, there is already talk of who will take Adams’ place and how his departure might shift the power dynamic in Utah’s Capitol.

“I think Stuart Adams is one of the most consequential leaders the state has had in the last 20 years,” said Spencer Stokes, a veteran Utah lobbyist, citing Adams’ role in rebuilding Interstate 15, courting the Winter Olympics and developing international trade. “I think he’s done a lot for the state.”

Not everyone is sorry to see Adams go. Former state Sen. Daniel Thatcher left the Republican Party, in large part, he said, because of the heavy-handed way Adams ran the Senate.

“I served with five different Senate presidents and none of them would have done the things Stuart Adams did as president,” said Thatcher, who joined the Utah Forward Party before he resigned from the Senate last October. “He unilaterally overrode the caucus on a regular basis. He treated anyone who disagreed with him, no matter how respectfully, with absolute utter contempt and cruelty. He conducted business in the dark like he was growing mushrooms.”

The Capitol is now at a crossroads.

‘It will certainly be different’

Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Cottonwood Heights, doesn’t see a major change in direction or dynamics between the House and Senate or with regards to the governor. The direction of the Senate does not hinge on one person, he said. It is the Republican caucus — which holds a supermajority in red-state Utah — that decides its policy and priorities, and that will continue.

Former Gov. Gary Herbert said during his nearly 12 years as governor, he saw numerous House Speakers and Senate presidents come and go.

“There are ebbs and flows between the balance of powers. Personalities are certainly a part of it,” he said, but Utah remains politically right of center, and he believes that will continue to be the direction it will take, whoever is leader.

At a minimum, said Cullimore, “it will certainly be different.”

“There’s a lot of legislators, whether it’s in the House or Senate,” he said, “who have had Stuart Adams there for their entire legislative service.”

Others see the leadership vacancy as an opportunity to turn the page and establish a new way of doing business.

“I think we’re going to see a huge power dynamic change within the Legislature this year,” said Elizabeth Hutchings, communications manager of the liberal-leaning Alliance For A Better Utah, which campaigned for Adams’ defeat.

“Whenever you have anyone in office that long, losing them or having them retire creates a shift,” she said. “But particularly when you have a sitting Senate president who has used every bit of his power to push through what he wanted to, I think we’re going to see ripple effects of that.”

Frank Pignanelli, a former Democratic state legislator who now works as a lobbyist (including for the Utah Press Association, which includes The Salt Lake Tribune), said that the power balance between the House and Senate could swing slightly, but the legislative branch, which has steadily increased its power with relation to the governor, will continue to dictate the state’s agenda.

“The preeminence of the Legislature in setting policy is not going to change, regardless of the departure of Stuart Adams,” Pignanelli said. “That has become, in many ways, an established role for the Legislature for decades.”

While Adams remains president until the start of the next session, two lawmakers are considered likely replacements to lead the Senate: Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, who served as majority leader for six years, and Cullimore, who beat Vickers in the leadership election last year to take over the spot.

Cullimore said he is “likely considering” a bid for the spot. Vickers said he plans to run for the seat.

Handicapping the race becomes complicated, however, since there will be a host of new faces in the Republican caucus — the body that picks the president.

In addition to Adams’ defeat, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, lost to Rep. Doug Fiefia. Also, new senators will be picked to replace Sen. Ann Milner and Sen. Jerry Stevenson, who both served in Adams’ leadership team at various points and are retiring at the end of this year.

It remains to be seen if Sen. Emily Buss, who is a member of the Utah Forward Party and replaced Thatcher when he retired, will be able to hold on to her seat in what has typically been a Republican area.

Thatcher said that, during his tenure under Adams, there was a “patronage system” that centered around loyalty to Adams and a disregard for the legislative process. That could change with new leadership, but not if everyone in Adams’ orbit merely moves up one spot in the pecking order.

“If we want the Senate to respect process, transparency and accountability, there would have to be a leadership team that is willing to do things the right way,” he said. “if the Adams leadership team continues, then the Adams system probably continues.”

The data center ‘flash point’

In his final opening day speech, Adams planted a proverbial flag on making Utah a global superpower when it came to critical minerals, nuclear energy and artificial intelligence data centers. It ended up being a bold data center play that cost him his seat.

Adams is the chair of the Military Installation Development Authority, an entity that he played a key role in creating, with the aim to attract industries critical to the Pentagon and to protect Hill Air Force Base from closure.

It has also developed a sprawling ski lodge, is currently building a veterans resort at Sundance, an equestrian park and marina, and in May gave its approval to the world’s largest data center in Box Elder that would consume as much power as the rest of the state. It was rushed through with little public notice or input.

“The process on the data center was really poor,” Herbert said. “[People] were told, in essence, ‘You have questions? Trust us. We have answers.’ But they never had a chance to understand and digest the issue, so they were concerned. If you don’t know, you’ll assume the worst. So the process does count for the public at large.”

Hutchings said the data center issue became a “flash point” that cut across party lines, but before that, voters were already frustrated with Adams.

Incidents like a free trip to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a pattern of donations from corporations and individuals doing business with the state, allegations of skirting campaign finance reporting and initiating a change to state law that helped a relative facing criminal charges all created a perception that Adams was abusing his power, Hutchings said.

“I really feel like we’re seeing is this moment where a lot of frustration is boiling to the surface from Utahns who are just not feeling heard — or even more than that, respected — by their elected officials,” she said. “So the data center was a flash point for a lot of people and broke through and was clearly a bipartisan issue.”

Those who were politically aligned with the outgoing president, however, are more complimentary of Adams and the role he played in shaping the state.

“Many Utahns may never fully appreciate the scope of his impact because so much of his work was done quietly, thoughtfully, and with a focus on long-term results rather than short-term recognition,” House Speaker Mike Schultz said in a statement. “He has been a trusted partner, a visionary leader, and a good friend.”

Herbert said Adams produced an impressive track record during his tenure and “his fingerprints are on a lot of great stuff that happened in Utah.”

“I got along very well with Stuart. Good guy. I think he worked hard,” said Herbert. “His fingerprints are on a lot of the great things that happened in Utah, so he can certainly look back on his record with some pride and gratitude for the success he’s had as Senate president and some of the successes we’ve had as a state.”

Correction: July 7, 11:35 a.m. • The story has been updated to correct Elizabeth Hutchings’ title.