The United Utah Party held its caucus night on March 8, with 25 in-person locations and a Zoom caucus night broadcast that attracted hundreds of attendees from around the state. Feedback was positive from party members and guests, but many were not able to attend. “We received feedback from members of other political parties who were interested in attending our caucus meeting, but were not able to because they needed to attend their own caucus meetings,” says Hillary Stirling, UUP party chair. “And we thought, if the interest is there, why not hold another?”
In a rare move, the United Utah Party has decided to host an additional caucus night, entirely online at https://www.unitedutah.org, on Wednesday, March 23, at 7:00 PM. Caucus Night Encore will feature United Utah Party Congressional candidates January Walker and well-known podcaster and former KSL News Radio personality Jay Mcfarland. We will also be joined by former presidential candidate Evan McMullin, independent candidate for U.S. Senate. Caucus night will also offer attendees a second chance to become delegates to the United Utah State Party Convention in April by affiliating with the United Utah Party.
The decision to hold an additional caucus night was also influenced by numerous posts on social media from moderate Utahns voicing their dissatisfaction with their experience at non-UUP caucus meetings. Others posted positive things about the UUP caucus meeting they attended. Twitter user @calenev tweeted, “I attended the UUP caucus meeting, but my husband and 2 older kids went to the GOP meeting. We had a great discussion when we came home. My kids could hear and feel the lack of kindness and open-mindedness. So disheartening. The UUP meeting was great though!”
“Messages like these were very moving to us,” says Stirling. “We extend an invitation to anyone that felt frustrated after their caucus night experience. Come and enjoy a night of politics with the United Utah Party and our candidates. This is the type of caucus meeting you were hoping to attend.”
The United Utah Party invites members of all political parties to come to their caucus nights as equals with party members. This contrasts sharply with the caucus night rules for some other political parties, where guests are required to affiliate with the party or else be silent non-participants. “All are welcome here,” says Stirling. “Meet our candidates, ask them questions, learn about our party, participate in our caucus meetings. We are not afraid of the influence of non-party members at our meetings. Seeking understanding across the political spectrum is one of our guiding principles.”
For more information about the Caucus Night Encore event, please visit our website at https://www.unitedutah.org. You may also contact the United Utah Party at 385-325-1620, or email us at [email protected].
