A political consulting firm in Utah is getting a $20,000 cash infusion to recruit Democratic candidates for the 2026 elections.
Vote Save America, a political action committee once part of Crooked Media, is investing the money in Elevate PAC.
Elevate hopes to flip several House and Senate seats in the Utah Legislature, including seats currently held by Sens. Dan McCay and Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Jordan Teuscher. These three Republicans represent a tall challenge, as each won their last election by at least a margin of 22 percentage points.
The outside dollars are a sign that Utah Democrats are finally getting some attention, according to Damon Cann, head of the political science department at Utah State University.
“If outside entities are looking at Utah and saying, ‘Hey, there might be something worth trying to build on here,’ then it's a sign not only that money can be available, but that there's something these groups are seeing now that they hadn't seen before about the likely viability of Democratic candidates in the state of Utah,” Cann said.
Elevate PAC is playing the long game when it comes to getting Democrats in office. It predicts Utah will soon become a battleground state, citing rapid growth, its young population and a shifting Latter-day Saint vote.
That potential future is part of why Gabi Finlayson, president of Elevate Utah PAC and senior partner at Elevate Strategies, said she hopes for a longer-term partnership with Vote Save America PAC.
“VSA is really interested in investing in states where there's a potential for competitive congressional districts in recent years or in the upcoming years,” she said.
Whether Utah will become competitive may take a bit to unfold, said Cann. Maybe even a few election cycles.
“Whether that demographic change, should it come to pass, brings about the political change that is predicted to accompany it remains yet to be seen,” he said.
Democrats don’t often win in deep red Utah, so finding where additional resources can make a difference is key, Cann said. And getting Democrats on the ballot gives their supporters a chance to vote, which is an important part of party building.
“You have to give people a belief that something is going to be different in the new election cycle than it has been in the past if you want to be competitive,” he said. “But if well-resourced candidates go through these elections and then are still unsuccessful, then that would show that it's really just underlying political dynamics.”
Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King, the newly elected party leader, is excited to see the investment.
“For too long, one party has held a near-total grip on our Legislature, and that kind of unchecked control is bad for democracy,” he said.
The $20,000 will go toward recruiting candidates to run against Republicans in the 2026 midterms. Finding the right people will take dedicated outreach, like meeting with community leaders. Elevate said it will also use some of the funds for candidate training.
Finlayson said they’re looking for people outside of the “political establishment” of doctors, lawyers or real estate agents.
“Finding those folks that wouldn’t normally think of themselves as potential candidates, but that are more dedicated and more interested in being a public servant than being a politician, I think, is what we're certainly looking for,” Finlayson said.
Once Elevate has connected with candidates, it will provide resources like training and strategic support so they can be prepared to run for office.
Even in a supermajority state, Utah Republicans are not untouchable, Finlayson said. She knows targeting lawmakers like McCay, Cullimore and Teuscher will be a huge lift, but said Elevate wants to put forward a strong challenger.
“We're really hopeful that we can have a really solid candidate and hopefully make sure that those senators and the representatives are held accountable for the work that they're doing,” she said.
