Both the Utah Republican and Democratic parties will elect new leaders in the coming weeks, which many voters and elected officials hope will usher in new chapters for the state’s main political organizations after years of infighting, debts and dysfunction.
But the growing participation of unaffiliated voters, pressure from smaller parties, and changes to state law democratizing the candidate nomination process have raised questions about the shifting relevancy and roles of political parties in modern elections.
On this week’s episode of “Trib Talk,” Tribune reporter Taylor Stevens, United Utah Party chairman Richard Davis and Eden Republican Rep.