Utah Forward Party’s First-of-Its-Kind Preference Poll Picks a Winner to Replace Sen. Thatcher

Utah Forward Party’s first-of-its-kind preference poll picks a winner to replace Sen. Thatcher

Emily Buss won the Forward Party of Utah's preference poll on Dec. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Forward Party of Utah)The Forward Party of Utah’s unprecedented midterm preference poll has picked a winner to replace outgoing Sen. Dan Thatcher, of West Valley City, the state’s only third-party lawmaker, after he announced earlier this year his departure from the Republican Party.  The party announced Friday — the same day Thatcher’s retirement…

Emily Buss wins preference poll in Senate District 11 race - Utah Policy

Emily Buss has won the Forward Party of Utah’s Approval Voting preference poll to replace outgoing State Senator Daniel Thatcher in Senate District 11. Her name has been formally submitted to Governor Cox for official appointment. Senator Thatcher is officially retired from office, effective as of 10:00am today.  A total of 1,324 votes were successfully cast through a first-of-its-kind online voting system that used Approval Voting, an alternati…