Democratic Socialist Taylor Paden announced this week that he is running to represent Utah Senate District 13 in the Utah Legislature. His campaign focuses on policies to improve working people’s lives. Paden, a lifelong Utahn, is a union organizer, community advocate, and university worker. His campaign is focused on building an economy for the 99%, removing ICE presence from Utah, and defending workers’ rights statewide. He is the first Democratic Socialist to run for state office in Utah history.
“District 13 is becoming more unaffordable for working people. I know firsthand the challenges our working families face, and it’s time for a new generation of leaders to show up for our communities,” said Paden. “I’m running to represent District 13 in the Utah Senate because people are ready for a change. Everyday costs like rent and childcare are going through the roof, and the gap between working people and the top 1% is getting larger than ever. The hard-working people who make District 13 a great place to live deserve someone fighting to bring down the cost of living, protect our immigrant communities, and give regular working people a seat at the table.”
ABOUT TAYLOR PADEN
Taylor Paden, 30, was born and raised in West Valley City. Paden is a union organizer who, alongside his fellow workers at the University of Utah and University of Utah Health, made history in 2023 by forming the first union in the state directly tied to a health system. CWA 7765 is composed of two units: Utah Health Workers United, covering healthcare workers at the University of Utah hospital; and United Campus Workers of Utah, covering campus workers at the University of Utah and Utah State University. University of Utah Health alone has more than 14,000 employees in hospitals and clinics across the state, and more than 9,000 staff and faculty employed in health academics. Since then, he has been a tireless advocate for affordability, collective bargaining, and
Utah’s working families.
Paden’s lived experiences inform the priorities he will bring to the Utah Senate: alleviating childcare
costs for working families, protecting renters and expanding affordable housing, ending local
cooperation with ICE, expanding sanctuary spaces, and advancing workers’ rights across Utah. For
more information, visit padenforutah.com.
