Sen. Dan Thatcher of West Valley City announced last month that he is looking to leave the Legislature, but only if his party — which he joined in March after leaving the Republican Party — would be able to replace him through an election open to all voters in the district, which includes parts of Tooele, Eagle Mountain, West Valley City, West Jordan, Herriman and Magna.
It’s still possible that state leaders or the Utah GOP could step in to oppose the Forward Party’s plans. The Forward Party of Utah has said Utah law allows it to define its own process for selecting an appointee to fill a midterm vacancy; that nomination would then need to be approved by the governor.
The Forward Party of Utah — a centrist party with the slogan “Not left. Not right. Forward.” that coalesced when the state’s two centrist groups merged earlier this year — is an affiliate of the national Forward Party.
Sen. Dan Thatcher, a former Republican from West Valley City who is now affiliated with the Utah Forward Party, speaks at a joint convention of the United Utah and Utah Forward parties, where members of both parties voted to merge into one. The convention took place at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville on April 26, 2025. (Courtesy of Utah Forward and United Utah parties) In a release Wednesday, Utah’s Forward Party released the names of five eligible candidates who have applied to replace Thatcher and published profiles for each of them online at 11chooses.com. A candidate forum is scheduled for Dec. 4.
The candidates are:
- Tynley Bean, Erda
- Maleah Bliss, Kearns
- Emily Buss, Eagle Mountain
- Jeff Marshall, Magna
- Jeff Saunders, Tooele
The party also shared its plans for approval voting, including options to vote online or in person between Dec. 5 and Dec. 11 after voters verify their identities. The winning appointee will be announced Dec. 12 and then sent to Gov. Spencer Cox for approval.
The voting schedule released by the Forward Party of Utah says:
- Dec. 5: Mailed codes delivered; online voting opens
- Dec. 9: Half-day in-person voting open in Tooele
- Dec. 10: Half-day in-person voting open in Eagle Mountain
- Dec. 11: Last day to vote; four in-person locations to vote throughout the district.
In a statement, Michelle Quist, chair of the Forward Party of Utah, called the replacement process “unprecedented.”
“We believe this process is better for Utahns because it encourages participation, strengthens democracy, and returns choice to the people. We hope every registered voter in SD11 reviews the candidates at 11chooses.com in preparation for their vote,” Quist said.
This report was originally published at UtahNewsDispatch.com.
