Utah Republicans gear up for top races in what seems like 'last bastion of civility'

In the Trump era, voters from coast to coast have grown accustomed to major political candidates boasting of their genitalia size, insulting others’ intelligence and casting their opponents as heretics or even nefarious national traitors — in 49 states.

Utah’s politics and elections, however, have largely remained civil even as races elsewhere often devolve into blood sport, a politeness that local officeholders and party experts say is fueled by several factors like the state’s unique religious makeup.

Now, with an open Senate and a gubernatorial race on tap for November, political observers in Utah are hoping their tradition of courtesy doesn’t bend and break under the weight of an increasingly caustic national environment.

“There’s been some cute little dirty tricks. But compared to the rest of the nation, Utah is about as tame as it gets,” said former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. “It won’t be rock’ em, sock’ em like you see in other parts of the country.”

“In Utah, it matters how you do things, and that’s just ingrained in our culture and who we are,” Chaffetz told ABC News. “I still think they’re looking for a fighter, somebody who will fight for Utah. But how you fight does matter.”

Utah Republicans will pick a new senator from a crowded field to replace retiring Republican Mitt Romney, a party elder and former GOP presidential nominee who established rapport with members of both parties during his one term on Capitol Hill.

Among the Republicans vying to replace him are Rep. John Curtis; Brent Hatch, a Federalist Society treasurer and son of late Sen. Orrin Hatch; Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs; and state House Speaker Brad Wilson.

All have cast themselves as conservative fighters, and some have tied themselves closely to former President Donald Trump, who built a national profile in part on his penchant for personally attacking opponents.

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the PBS Utah Governor’s Monthly News Conference at the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City, Oct. 19, 2023.

Gov. Spencer Cox, a mild-mannered executive who has made “Disagree Better” the mantra of his administration, is facing a handful of primary challengers, though outside experts view him as the favorite to win reelection.

A former state party chair, Carson Jorgensen, and state Rep. Phil Lyman are the two main Republicans primarying him.

Given the state’s status as a Republican stronghold, the party’s ultimate nominees for the two races are anticipated to set off on a glide path to victory this November.

Those stakes, in other states, normally mean the primaries will stir up a witch’s brew of backbiting, but Republican candidates and strategists who spoke to ABC News for this story predicted only a minor uptick in sniping as campaigns get off the ground.

“It seems like Utah’s the last bastion of civility in politics,” Jorgensen said. “We can fight about policy, but there’s no room for the personal attacks and the garbage that comes along with that and the trashiness that comes with politics. But as far as ideas go, and as far as policy goes, absolutely, let’s have it out.”

A half-dozen Utah GOP operatives all pointed to the state’s religious culture, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands as a dominant institution.

The Republicans pointed to religious teachings endorsing respect and civility and the tight-knit community the church promotes in a state where much of the population lives in or around Salt Lake City.

“I think that’s the heart of it. And whether that is civility that’s encouraged by the church or just encouraged by the fact that a large proportion of this state identifies with the church, I’m not sure. Certainly, the church encourages civility in politics,” said Quin Monson, a professor in Brigham Young University’s political science department.

Monson added that many negative attacks in races of yesteryear were launched by outside groups with murky allegiances, saying, “When it goes off the rails negative, nobody’s willing to take responsibility for it. People are afraid to do it.”

Republicans also speculated that the church’s history could play a role in leading voters to elevate politicians who not only keep things civil in their own races but also keep their heads down when in office.

Early members of the church were persecuted, leading many to flee to what is now Utah to find safety and community — memories that are fresh for many Utahns who trace their lineage to the state’s early pioneers, political experts said.

“Part of why you see largely behind-the-scenes, go-along-to-get-along politicians getting elected out of Utah is because it makes people feel uncomfortable whenever they are being disproportionately focused on for positions they’re taking,” said one Capitol Hill aide and member of the church who isn’t working for the Utah delegation.

“I think there is an underlying fear that it will make them look isolated and potentially in position to be targeted again, and maybe not necessarily literally, but at least psychologically. And I think that’s something they want to avoid,” this person added. “That’s part of why you don’t see them send more outspoken fighters on traditional issues.”

The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah,.

On top of that, Utah’s nominating system is designed to elevate more mainstream candidates to the ballot, versus in other states where appealing to the base is often the inside track to the nomination.

Republican candidates can clinch a spot on the GOP primary ballot by winning the state party’s convention — a forum that traditionally favors candidates closer to the extremes of the GOP spectrum. But contenders could also gather enough signatures themselves to land a spot, a pathway that Romney took in 2018 after losing the convention that year.

“That allows the voters, I think a majority of whom are conservative but not crazy conservative, to choose a nominee that is acceptable to the general electorate,” Monson said.

When asked whether Utah’s civility could be replicated elsewhere, Republicans told ABC News that the country would benefit from more of the “Utah way” while noting the state’s unique makeup and primary system could make such duplication difficult.

And, they warned, Utah has instead shown flashes of mirroring the rest of the country.

Cox in 2022 vetoed a ban on transgender students playing girls’ sports but ultimately signed into law this year legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state-owned schools and barring transgender people from accessing restrooms that differ from their biological sex in state-owned buildings, touching on major culture war issues for the Republican base that operatives anticipated will be brought up in challenges against him.

Strategists also cited anecdotal evidence of increased snippiness among the candidates.

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“We’ve gotten a little bit more of some of the campaigns complaining about each other kind of in the background as you’re going up to their booth at the Lincoln Day Dinner or at the convention. They’re saying, ‘Oh well, did you know that this guy had this problem or such?'” said Utah GOP strategist Brian Chapman, who has worked for Rep. Curtis in the past. “I don’t think that it’s quite gotten to the level of all out attacks, but it is more than we used to see, especially directly from the campaigns.”

Still, Republicans predicted that for now, races will also focus on traditional issues like the budget, climate change and the military and that most negative attacks will come from fringe groups rather than the campaigns themselves, which have many more eyeballs on them.

“You might still hear a lot of vocal individuals, which there’s some out there, and it’s unfortunate,” said Salt Lake County GOP Chair Chris Null. “It’d be great if they could learn how to get their points across without being so divisive, but they haven’t and that’s fine.”

“But I think 99% of membership will turn their backs to that and make the decision based on facts, not the divisive talk,” Null said.

As if to put an exclamation mark on the civility he was preaching, Null demurred when asked what groups he was referencing.

“Oh, now you want me to call out, I’d rather not say,” he said. “They know who they are.”