Utah

The Republican and Democratic parties are the state's leading political groups. Though there is no party registration in the state, Utah's voting record shows its voters to be heavily Republican. In the midterm elections of 2000, Orrin Hatch was reelected to a fifth term in the US Senate. Utah's other US senator, Republican Robert F. Bennett, was last elected in 1998. In the 2002 elections, voters sent two Republicans and one Democrat to Washington as their delegation in the US House. At the state level, Republicans continued to dominate the assembly, with 56 members to the Democrats' 19; while the state senate had 22 Republicans and 7 Democrats. Republican governor Michael O. Leavitt was first elected in 1992 and secured a third term in the 2000 election. In November 2000, true to form, Utahns cast 67% of their presidential votes for Republican George W. Bush; 26% for Democrat Al Gore; and 5% for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. In 2002 there were 1,254,994 registered voters; there is no party registration in the state. The state had five electoral votes in the 2000 presidential election.

Utah Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2000

Utah Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2000