Vote Save America PAC invests to find Utah candidates to challenge GOP incumbents
Jul 29, 2025, 6:06 PM
A national political action committee focused on "pro-democracy" candidates will invest $20,000 to recruit candidates to run against several Republican state lawmakers in Utah's Legislature. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A national political action committee focused on “pro-democracy” candidates will invest $20,000 to recruit candidates to run against several Republican state lawmakers in Utah’s Legislature.
Vote Save America, the political arm of Crooked Media, announced Tuesday it will partner with Utah’s Elevate PAC to identify and recruit candidates to run against eight GOP representatives and two senators in seats it views as flippable. Crooked Media was founded by several alums of the Obama administration and is the home to the popular podcast “Pod Save America.”
The money will help organizers in Utah identify candidates for office from outside of the typical political establishment who might not otherwise be inspired to run, according to Elevate PAC principal Gabi Finlayson.
“People that end up running for office, especially a lot of the really, really excellent ones, aren’t people that … you know are going to run for office or that don’t really see that in their life path,” she told KSL.com. “A lot of the time, the best candidates come from those places where you have to ask them to run. You have to really push them and say, ‘Hey, you’re the kind of person that we need right now.’ And so that also obviously takes time and staff and support.”
Vote Save America has given to campaigns and grassroots organizations in the past and hopes to help shift the balance of power in Salt Lake City in the 2026 midterm elections.
“Utah is uniquely positioned for change,” said Shaniqua McClendon, the head of political strategy at Vote Save America. “It’s the youngest state in the country, one of the fastest-growing and the most college-educated red state. No state in the nation has moved further to the left over the past 20 years than Utah. There’s an independent streak here that national politics has ignored for too long.”
While Utah remains solidly red, the margins for Republicans have decreased in presidential elections with President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, though Trump’s numbers ticked up in 2024 compared to the previous two cycles.
Utah’s House Republican PAC defended conservative legislators in a statement to KSL.com, touting the state’s quality of life, economic outlook and low unemployment rate.
“What makes Utah great, however, are not the policymakers at Capitol Hill — it’s our people. Hardworking, family-oriented, service-minded Utahns who care about their neighbors, communities and our state,” the Utah House Republican Election Committee said. “The suggestion that Utah’s conservative lawmakers are ‘vulnerable’ or fall out of step with community ideals are unfounded. Make no mistake: These elected officials remain committed to their constituents, undeterred by outside forces and unfazed by political noise.”
Utah GOP Chairman Rob Axson said the lawmakers are “being targeted because they’ve stood strong for Utah values: liberty, family and life.”
“Out-of-state PACs don’t represent Utahns,” he added. “Their record is one of California money trying to buy influence rather than the record of accomplishment and service our Republican legislators provide. We’ll proudly defend our Utah legislators and keep fighting for the principles that make Utah strong.”
The next midterm election is still more than a year away in November 2026, but with the deadline to file as a candidate on Jan. 2, 2026, organizers have just a few months left to recruit and train potential candidates.
“We’re looking for real, normal people that are kind of outside of the political establishment,” Finlayson said. “A lot of voters are not necessarily looking for career politicians. … The structure that we have now hasn’t always worked for a lot of people, and so we’re looking for teachers, we’re looking for nurses, we’re looking for small business owners. Just normal, everyday people.”
“We see so many people in the Legislature that are only interested in voting the way that they’re told to vote and not looking out for the best interests of their constituents,” she added. “That’s something that we’re definitely looking at when we’re trying to find candidates, is who do you really work for? Because I think across the board, we’ve seen that a lot of our representatives have forgotten who it is they work for.”
The PAC says it is looking to find candidates to challenge the following incumbents: Reps. Jill Koford, R-Ogden; Matt MacPherson, R-West Valley City; Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns; Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville; Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan; Clint Okerlund, R-Sandy; Steve Eliason, R-Sandy; and Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, along with Sens. Dan McCay, R-Riverton; and Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy.
Those interested in running or who know someone who would be a good candidate are encouraged to email info@elevateutahpac.com or visit the PAC’s website.
