The Utah Democratic Party elected a new executive board last weekend, ushering in what Summit County Democratic Party Chair Rory Swensen hopes will be a new, energizing era for the organization.
“There’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, but it was really a good opportunity to rub shoulders and talk to fellow Democrats,” Swensen said. “I spent a good bit of time speaking with other northern county chairs, and we’re working to coordinate together and do what we can to advance the causes in the northern counties, like Summit, Davis, Weber and Cache.”
Democrats from across the state convened for the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention on May 31 at Ogden High School. They elected an entirely new slate of leadership, including former gubernatorial candidate Brian King as chair; Susan Merrill as vice chair; Brad Dickter as secretary; and Catherine Voutaz as treasurer.
“I’m honored to have earned the trust of our delegates to serve as chair for the next two years,” King said. “Over the past four months, we’ve traveled the state, hearing directly from Utah Democrats about their hopes, frustrations and vision for the future. Today’s incredible turnout shows what we’ve known all along: Utah Democrats are energized, motivated and ready to fight for the values we share.”
King also said he was “ready to lead the charge to hold out-of-touch Republicans accountable” and to connect with voters to flip seats from red to blue “from the top of the ballot to the bottom.”
Swensen, who attended the convention in person, said he was pleased to see King elected as chair.
“He represented a portion of Summit County during his time in the Legislature, and he has good name recognition,” Swensen explained. “He has good relationships. He knows how the politics work, and I’m hoping he can bump us up to the next level and bring in some additional resources from the national groups that will help us in our races locally.”
Swensen also specifically praised Dickter, who he said has “innovative ideas to increase transparency and better communicate with the counties.” Dickter has been heavily involved with the Utah Democratic Party since he moved to Utah from California over a decade ago, serving as a fundraising subcommittee member, region coordinator and mobilization co-chair in addition to general volunteer work.
The state Democratic Party is responsible for administrative work, coordinating with the national organization and fundraising to help support local county parties and Democratic candidates. Both Swensen and a press release from the Utah Democratic Party touted the number of involved delegates this year — a record-breaking 1,450 voters participated in the party leadership election.
The resources the statewide organization provides to the county Democratic Party will be more important in 2026 than 2025, however. The open seats this year are largely non-partisan races for mayoral and city council positions, Swensen explained.
“For 2026, we’re going to have a new environment with the districting of the Summit County Council,” Swensen said. “One of the things the state started this year was that Summit County was able to get a full-time field organizer, and that’s something I think needs to continue going forward, so we’ll be lobbying hard for that support here. That was instrumental in at least one of the recent races, but the state is mostly giving logistical and financial support. We’ll be working hard to make sure Summit County is seen and prioritized at the state level.”