Housing affordability and political dysfunction worry Utah voters ahead of the governor's race
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
As Utahns anticipate the upcoming gubernatorial election, cost of living and political dysfunction are the top issues on voters' minds, per a new survey released by the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan policy research organization.
The big picture: Voters ranked 17 of the most pressing concerns they consider when assessing their choices for governor.
- Housing affordability and politicians not listening to voters nearly tied for the top two, followed by affording non-housing needs, government overreach and partisan politics.
Zoom in: The issues related to political dysfunction "can be summarized as voters being concerned about the political process, individual representation and political power," researchers noted in the report.
- Crowded neighborhoods, the Great Salt Lake and transgender rights came in as the three least-pressing issues.
By the numbers: About 60% of the voters surveyed said the state is on the "wrong track," per the poll. That's the largest percentage recorded by the Utah Foundation since 2004.
- The group polled 656 registered Utah voters between Feb. 24–March 24.
What they're saying: "When we're talking about housing affordability that is a real issue that affects real Utahns on a daily basis," Jeff Merchant, executive director of the left-leaning watchdog group Alliance for a Better Utah, told Axios.
- "That along with things like education, gas prices and the price of food — these are all top issues … and guess what? These aren't the things that we heard about in the legislative session."
- Instead, Merchant noted that lightning-rod issues like DEI, restrictions for transgender Utahns and book banning dominated this year's session.
Context: Homeownership is becoming less attainable among Utahns, with the median sales price of a home costing $534,000 in March, according to Redfin. That's 27% higher than the median sales price of a home nationally.
What we're watching: Gov. Spencer Cox, seeking his second term, and state Rep. Phil Lyman, who has represented the Blanding area since 2019, are vying to win the GOP primary in June.
- The winner will face off in November against Democratic candidate state Rep. Brian King for the reliably Republican seat.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Democratic candidate for governor is state Rep. Brian King (not Caroline Gleich).