DNC launches longshot strategy to flip deep-red Utah
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The Democratic National Committee is pouring more than $1 million into Utah to lay the groundwork to some day turn the state blue.
Why it matters: Though Republican voters in the state outnumber Democrats nearly 4 to 1, recently elected DNC chair Ken Martin sees Utah's growth and evolving demographics as a path to flipping it.
State of play: It's a tall order in a state where Trump slightly improved his margin in the 2024 election compared to 2020.
- Republicans also hold all of Utah's congressional and statewide executive offices as well as supermajorities in both the state House and Senate.
Driving the news: Utah is among other GOP-controlled states where the DNC will invest $22,500 monthly in the state Democratic Party over four years through its new State Partnership Program.
- Martin said the funding will boost infrastructure for races from school board to the federal level.
- The investment comes as the spiraling Democratic Party struggles to find its identity and connect with voters following President Trump's win.
What they're saying: "We have to actually build a party that's not just in seven battleground states," Martin told Axios during an interview in downtown Salt Lake City. "We have to build everywhere. There's no such thing as a perpetual red state."
- "Eventually, the state will turn blue. It's not going to happen overnight," he said, noting Colorado's decadeslong transition from a former Republican-leaning state to a blue state.
The intrigue: After the 2030 census count, Martin believes Utah will remain one of the top five fastest-growing states in the U.S., gaining two to three new congressional seats as blue states like Minnesota and California stand to lose representation.
- "You have to skate to where that puck will be, not where that puck is," he said, quoting the hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
Between the lines: Martin also sees an opening to connect with Latino Utahns, who comprise about 15% of the state population.
- "When you think about the future voters of this state, the Latino community is really critical," he said. "Whoever is first to organize that community, especially younger Latino voters, is likely going to win the future."
Zoom in: When it comes to courting Latter-day Saint voters, a voting bloc shown to be lukewarm on Trump, Martin said Democrats must do a better job talking about religion and faith.
What's next: If the state gains congressional power and redraws districts, Martin sees Utah's shift to purple coming into view in as soon as five to 10 years.
The other side: "$22,500 and a complete platform change, and we might be talking about something," former Utah GOP chair and previous gubernatorial candidate Carson Jorgensen told Axios about the funding's impact.
Zoom out: Martin employed a similar strategy in his years as chair of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Axios Twin Cities reporter Torey Van Oot tells us.
- While Democrats there continued to lose ground to the GOP in some rural congressional and state legislative districts in recent elections, his approach and fundraising prowess is credited with helping fuel a nearly two-decadelong statewide winning streak for the party.