The United Utah Party (UUP) is a political party in the United States. It was founded in 2017 and is active only in the state of Utah. The party identifies itself as politically moderate, and was created out of frustration with the Republican and Democratic parties.
Video United Utah Party
History
Prior to the formation of the United Utah Party, Brigham Young University (BYU) political science professor Richard Davis had considered forming a political party for years. According to Davis, he found people were open to an alternative political party during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He announced the formation of the party on May 22, 2017. Davis is a chairperson for the party, and Jim Bennett, the son of former U.S. Senator Bob Bennett, was the party's executive director until he stepped down from that position to run as the UUP's candidate in a special congressional election to replace Jason Chaffetz.
On May 26, 2017, Jim Bennett attempted to apply as an affiliated candidate in Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, 2017, but the lieutenant governor's office rejected the application because the party was not registered. Bennett did not register as an unaffiliated candidate before the June 12, 2017 deadline. Utah's elections office certified the party on June 27, 2017.
On June 21, 2017, the UUP filed a lawsuit against Utah state officials to get Bennett's name on the ballot. In court, a Utah state attorney argued that the UUP could have formed earlier to meet the application deadline. A party lawyer argued that only a "soothsayer" could have predicted that Jason Chaffetz would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives. On August 2, 2017, a federal judge in charge of the case ordered Utah election officials to allow Bennett on the ballot under the United Utah Party.
In late September 2017, Bennett narrowly qualified to participate in the Utah Debate Commission's selective debate, along with the election's Republican and Democratic candidates, John Curtis and Kathie Allen. Bennett came in third place in the special election, with about 9.3% of the popular vote.
Maps United Utah Party
Platform
According to UUP chairman Richard Davis, the party's platform is mostly based on laws and principles, rather than specific social positions. He told The Salt Lake Tribune that the party supports term limits, stricter campaign-finance laws, efforts to stop gerrymandering, and increased school funding. The party's platform also includes enforcing immigration laws "with compassion," and generally opposes abortion with specific exceptions. The party believes that public lands can be preserved while still allowing economic development. The UUP supports the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution while also supporting some regulations on firearm purchases.
The UUP supports efforts to stop using taxpayer money in the Utah Republican Party's closed primary elections. On December 1, 2017, the party called for greater transparency regarding sexual harassment allegations on Capitol Hill. In January 2018, the UUP announced support for the "Our Schools Now" initiative, a proposed progressive tax meant to increase education founding.
References
External links
- Official website
- Jim Bennett's campaign website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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