Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright gave his final address to Republicans as their state leader on Saturday. Wright called on his fellow party members to be more inclusive.
Thomas Wright announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election as the state Republican Party leader. At Saturday’s organizing convention, he called on Utah Republicans not to push away groups that may not traditionally embrace conservative values.
"How about what we say to the gay community? What are we saying to the families and friends of gay people? Are we willing to just to assume that we have nothing in common with them? Are we willing to just write them off?" said Wright.
Wright called on party members to not just point the finger at Democrats but work within their own party to address its weaknesses.
"Our default position cannot be to take our ball and go home. Some won’t like me saying it, but when it comes to intractable problems like immigration and the national debt, Republicans helped create the mess. We are obligated to help clean it up," said Wright
Utah Senator Orrin Hatch praised Wright for service to state Republicans.
"We’ve all enjoyed working with you Thomas, every one of us. And we all hope for the opportunity to continue to work with you in the years to come. We don’t expect you to totally retire. We expect you to be as adamant, as aggressive, as decent and as honorable as you’ve been in the past," said Hatch.
Wright says he will now spend more time with his family and dedicate time to his real estate business. James Evans was elected to succeed Wright as state GOP Chairman. Evans is the first African American to hold the post.
