The Utah House of Representatives has three new Republican leaders under Speaker of the House Mike Schultz, following a closed-door vote on Tuesday evening.
Rep. Casey Snider will replace Jefferson Moss as House Majority Leader, after Moss was tapped by Gov. Spencer Cox to run the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
Rep. Candice Pierucci will be the Majority Whip, replacing Karianne Lisonbee, who stepped away from her position to challenge for Majority Leader, though she eventually lost to Snider.
Rep. Bridger Bolinder will be the Assistant Whip.
Leah Murray, a political science professor at Weber State University, said these leadership elections matter and will “set the tone” for this year’s interim sessions and the 2026 legislative session.
“They are the people in the room when it happens,” Murray said. “So they are making decisions about what will be on the agenda, what will be considered … It feels like it's just about Republicans, but it's not. It's about how the Republican Party is going to govern in the state of Utah.”
Snider has represented Cache County in the legislature since 2018. He will move up from his position as Assistant Whip, which he has held since 2023.
“Our leadership team is committed to serving the members of our caucus and the people of Utah with integrity and foresight as we continue to advance meaningful policy for the benefit of every Utahn,” Snider said in a statement.
The Majority Leader is responsible for conducting party caucuses, managing the consideration of legislation, informing members of agendas and voting schedules, mobilizing the party to support or oppose legislation and generally communicating with Democratic leadership on scheduling.
The whips are responsible for reporting to their leadership any important factors regarding legislation. Whips have a lot of power, Murray noted, because they ensure legislators vote according to the party's wishes.
“They're going to decide how the membership at large, how all those legislators get treated, and these guys vote a lot,” Murray said.
The new leadership team will get their first chance to flex those muscles in the upcoming interim session scheduled to begin June 17.
Schultz congratulated the new leaders in a statement.
“I am excited to work alongside this new leadership team as we represent our caucus and work on behalf of all Utahns,” he said.
