Agreement to be finalized at April 26 Joint Convention
Today, elected leaders of the United Utah Party (UUP) and the Utah Forward Party (FWD) announce the signing of an agreement to formally present plans for a party merger at an upcoming joint organizing convention taking place on April 26. If consummated, it is believed to be the first ever merger of political parties in the State of Utah.
Discussions about a possible merger have been taking place for many months and have recently accelerated, building on the momentum of the news that Senator Daniel Thatcher (SD 11: Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah Counties) switched his affiliation to the Utah Forward Party on March 7th, the last day of the Utah Legislative Session.
Adam Teuscher, chair of the Utah Forward Party said, “Since 2017 the UUP has been a home to disenfranchised voters and candidates who bravely opted out of an obviously dysfunctional two-party system. They’ve worked tirelessly to give voters a quality third option. They believe that electeds should put the interests of their constituents over those of party bosses. Forward stands for the same, but we do so as part of a 50-state movement. UUP blazed the path, and through this merger, we hope to widen it.”
Ladd Johnson, chair of the United Utah Party, said, “The United Utah Party’s long-term vision has always been to start locally and build-up a grass-roots political movement in Utah before eventually joining together with similar movements from other states. The proposed merger with the Forward Party is an important and exciting step in furthering that vision. We will bring the experience, excellent platform and approach, and dedicated leaders and members of the UUP and combine with the talent, energy and national presence of the Forward Party.”
The decision to merge ultimately rests in the hands of party members, who will have the opportunity to vote on the merger proposal in separate votes on April 26. According to the terms of the MOU, a combined interim Executive Committee would then be appointed from existing party leadership to oversee the largely unprecedented process of joining separately recognized political parties in accordance with the laws of Utah.
While voting to approve the merger will be limited to those who were legacy party members prior to the date of this announcement, the public is invited to attend. We welcome all Utahns broadly interested in election reform and the independent political space. The convention will include a keynote address by former New Jersey Governor Chrstine Todd Whitman, co-founder of the National Forward Party, as well as panels and breakout sessions focused on priority issue areas.
For more information and to RSVP, visit https://www.utahforwardparty.org/2025_state_convention.