Cox, Curtis, and the Myth of the “Good Republican”
We’re not here to pick a fight with the so-called Moderate Mafia (yet).
If you follow politics in Utah, you’ve probably seen this headline floating around:
Ah, yes. The New York Times has parachuted in to tell us all about Utah, and like most national coverage of the state, it’s…fine. But when national outlets try to cover a place they don’t fully understand, they tend to miss the details, skip the context, and, if we’re being blunt, overly rely on interviews with whoever has the best LinkedIn headshot.
So today, we’re going to break down what the article got right, what it missed, and why this conversation about “moderate Republicans” in Utah is less about a true ideological movement and more about a group of well-mannered conservatives coming to terms with the fact that their party left them behind.
And listen, we’re not here to pick a fight with the so-called Moderate Mafia (yet). Politics is coalition-building, and if Utah is going to become competitive, there will be moments when center-right and center-left folks find common ground. But we also need to be clear-eyed about what’s actually happening. So let’s dig in.
Utah’s “Moderates” Are Just MAGA in Khakis
The article opens with this premise:
"One of the 50 states has remained a redoubt of a kinder, gentler and more civil kind of Republicanism. Utah."
Utah Republicans read that and must have cackled into their Diet Dr Peppers. Because if you’ve paid even mild attention to the legislative session this year, “kind” and “gentle” are not words you’d use to describe what’s happening on Capitol Hill.
This is the same legislature that:
Gutted ballot initiatives passed by voters.
Made it harder for citizens to challenge their representatives.
Called a special session just to try and stop a court from giving us fair legislative maps.
Rammed through book bans, anti-DEI measures, and a trans bathroom ban, all while ignoring real issues like housing affordability and the Great Salt Lake crisis.
Utah Republicans have a long tradition of sounding reasonable while governing in ways that are anything but. They do it with that calm, steady cadence, the testimony voice for the men, the Relief Society voice for the women. The same tone you’d hear in a church talk about loving your neighbor, but instead of pushing charity, they’re gutting ballot initiatives, banning books, and making life harder for trans kids. It’s that eerie dissonance between their soothing delivery and the harsh reality of what they’re actually doing. And as we pointed out in our Stepford Legislators piece, it’s the women leading the charge on these policies. The ones preaching about parental rights while passing laws that dictate what other people’s kids can read. The ones calling for government overreach in the name of freedom. The same legislators who probably think the Handmaid’s Tale is a cautionary tale…about not being strict enough.
The difference now is the party’s brand of conservatism is shifting, and the center-right is losing its grip on power.
But let’s get back to the article.
The GOP’s Center-Right Is in Hospice Care, But Sure, Let’s Talk About Civility
The article highlights a new PAC in Utah that’s all about “problem-solving over partisanship,” tamping down political trash talk, and supporting better redistricting. Sounds great, right?
That PAC is The Governing Group, led by Becky Edwards, a former Republican legislator who ran against Mike Lee in 2022 as the self-proclaimed “reasonable conservative alternative.” The New York Times piece frames this effort as evidence that Utah is rejecting the MAGA wing of the GOP. But let’s be honest—is it, though?
Becky Edwards got 30% of the vote in her primary. Mike Lee? He got 62%.
And when Edwards ran in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District special election last year, she finished third in the GOP primary. So while efforts like The Governing Group are interesting, they don’t signal a fundamental shift in power. They’re a reminder that the once-dominant center-right wants to stay relevant but is losing ground to a GOP that has fully embraced MAGA.
Meanwhile, the article notes that Utah had the second-smallest shift to the right in the country (yay!), but fails to ask the bigger question: What is actually happening with Utah voters?
Here’s what we know:
Utah is the fastest-growing and youngest state in the country.
Younger LDS voters are drifting left, a trend that’s continued since 2016.
Trump has never been particularly popular here—Utah Republicans tend to favor traditional conservatism over MAGA populism.
Yet, despite this, GOP leadership keeps moving further right, passing more extreme legislation every year.
That contradiction is what actually makes Utah interesting. It’s why the GOP supermajority is passing laws that nobody asked for and why they’re moving to consolidate power before voters catch up.
And yet, somehow, this article makes it seem like the biggest concern in Utah politics is…political trash talk?
Respectfully, that is not the problem.
They’re Not Brave, You’re Just Falling for the PR
The Times article accurately points out that Senator John Curtis is theoretically willing to stand up to Trump but has yet to do so. And that Governor Spencer Cox, after years of hand-wringing, eventually bent the knee to Trump (and then used that leg to step on graves at Arlington cemetery and send a campaign email about it).
But let’s be very clear here: neither of them is actually resisting anything. Curtis hasn’t swung away from the party; he’s just carefully avoiding saying anything that might make his base mad. And Cox just signed a union-busting bill into law, gutting collective bargaining rights for public sector workers—a position wildly unpopular with voters across the political spectrum. Not exactly the principled stand of a so-called moderate.
And it’s not just Cox. Even the so-called “moderates” in the Utah Legislature, people who ran as centrists in competitive districts, voted in favor of this bill. Jill Koford. Clint Okerlund. Todd Weiler. They market themselves as moderates, but when the votes roll in, they fall right in line with the rest of the party.
The problem isn’t just that the GOP’s moderates are losing—it’s that we keep giving them credit for being moderate without requiring them to actually make moderate decisions. We celebrate their rhetoric while ignoring their votes. We prop them up as a firewall against extremism, even though they go along with it every single time.
And the one Republican who actually did take a stand? Dan Thatcher. The only Republican to vote against the trans dorm ban. The only one who crosses the aisle consistently. And what did it get him? Stripped of his committee assignments and chairmanship. Banished to literally sit next to the Democrats this session.
Thatcher is proof of what happens when a Utah Republican actually governs like a moderate instead of just branding themselves as one. He was iced out of his own party, not because he was a progressive hero, but because he dared to vote the way Utah’s so-called “moderates” claim to believe.
The truth is that these so-called moderate Republicans do not control their own party anymore.
Sure, they still hold seats, and they still have influence, but their brand of conservatism is in retreat. Utah’s Republican Party is in the middle of an identity crisis, and instead of confronting it, moderates are forming PACs and giving each other awards for civility.
Which, look, is very nice. But it’s not winning them elections, and it’s certainly not stopping the legislature from turning Utah into a testing ground for far-right policy.
Moderates Talk, MAGA Rules, and You’re Still Registering as a Republican?
Here’s the real takeaway from this piece:
The Times is right that Utah is different from other red states, but not because the GOP is moderate. It’s different because the voters are different.
There’s a growing gap between who Utahns are and how Utah is governed. That gap is where real political change happens, and it’s why we’re playing the long game to turn this state competitive.
And while we’re here, let me say this loud and clear: I am so damn sick and tired of Democrats voting for "moderate Republicans" and calling it a strategy. I am exhausted by the register-as-a-Republican-and-vote-in-the-primary scheme, convinced they’re being creative and tricky when all they’re doing is propping up a system that hates them.
It’s not creative. It’s defeatist. It’s apathetic. It’s also just a lie.
You’re not a Republican. And you shouldn’t have to pretend to be one to have political power in this state.
The only way things are going to change here is if we stop playing games and start talking about what we actually want—loudly, unapologetically, and without fear. People will listen. The data already shows that Utahns are moving away from the far-right. The fight isn’t about infiltrating or “moderating” the Republican Party—it’s about beating them.
We are not going to trick or lie our way into change. We’re going to fight for it, out in the open, and bring people along with us. Because Utah is not as conservative as the people who run it want you to believe.
The center-right will have a role to play in that transformation, but only if they’re willing to confront reality: The party they once controlled is gone. The Republican supermajority is held together by a mix of MAGA extremists and legacy conservatives too afraid to challenge them.
Utah could be the next battleground state. The voters are shifting. The Utah Supreme Court has already ruled against GOP overreach twice. And if the left, moderates, and independents actually organize, the current supermajority is in trouble.
The question isn’t whether Utah Republicans are resisting Trump. The question is whether they can resist their own party’s worst impulses.
And so far the answer has been no.
But that’s why we’re here—to change that. Chip in to support our PAC making a difference »
Enough Apologizing—It’s Time to Burn the Utah GOP to the Ground (Politically, Of Course)
Utah’s road to becoming competitive won’t be easy, but it’s happening. And if you’re tired of waiting around for the GOP to “moderate itself,” I have good news:
You don’t have to.
Stop pretending the Republican Party is salvageable. The moderates aren’t going to save us. They aren’t even going to save themselves. Their brand of conservatism is dead, and they know it—which is why they keep folding instead of fighting.
Stop registering as a Republican to “vote in the primary.” You are not going to trick your way into a better GOP. You are not a Republican. And every time you vote for a “less bad” one, you’re just validating their system instead of building the alternative we actually need.
Start being loud about what you actually want. You don’t have to be sneaky or strategic about it—just tell the truth. Utahns are already shifting away from the extremism of their government. Give them something to move toward.
Invest in real political infrastructure. That means supporting candidates, campaigns, and PACs (like, say, Elevate PAC). It means donating to local races because that’s where real change starts.
Be Curious, but not judgmental! We are building a big coalition, people are allowed to have differing opinions. We welcome all who want to see the political monopoly broken in Utah
Utah is changing. The only question is how fast. And we don’t have time to waste.
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