A longtime prominent Democrat from Park City is preparing for the possibility of a congressional campaign in 2024 in the 3rd Congressional District, saying he has taken early steps toward what would be his second bid for the House of Representatives.
Glenn Wright is among the most notable Democrats in Park City and surrounding Summit County. He is a former two-term Summit County councilor and has been the chair of the Summit County Democratic Party. In his political career he has unsuccessfully campaigned for the state House of Representatives twice and, in 2022, was the Democratic nominee in the congressional contest. The incumbent congressman in 2022, John Curtis, routed Wright. There is a possibility the two could meet again on the ballot in 2024.
After analyzing the loss in 2022, Wright said, it appeared the ideal candidate for the state’s minority party would be young and a resident of Utah County, one of the congressional district’s population centers. He said a candidate like that has not yet appeared, leaving open the possibility of a second bid for Congress.
“It sounds more likely than not,” he said about a campaign in 2024.
Wright in an interview just after the 2022 election indicated there was a possibility he would campaign for the seat again in 2024. At that time, he said he would be willing to run for the office if the Democrats were unable to find another candidate.
County, state and congressional candidates cannot formalize their campaigns until the opening of the filing window in 2024. A congressional bid, though, typically can take months of preparation. Wright said he has started to draft campaign volunteers who assisted in the 2022 election to help with the 2024 effort.
Wright points to what he sees as “disorder in the Republican Congress.”
“A Democrat would help get things under control,” he said about the current state of the House of Representatives. “It is unable to accomplish anything that will benefit the country at this point.”
Wright said he would offer a counter to Curtis on issues like abortion and climate change.
He addressed the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, declaring “Hamas needs to be destroyed” and saying Hamas is an “existential threat” to Israel.
Wright, though, is not confident in Israel’s ability to accomplish that goal without diplomatic and logistical assistance from the U.S., explaining he supports the continued flow of the “defense supplies they need.” He predicted “very tough times in the Middle East” in the coming weeks and months with a significant number of casualties.
Wright, a pilot during the Vietnam War, said the visits to the region by the president and secretary of state were, according to him, “exactly the right start.” There will “hopefully not” be a U.S. military role.
He said a long-term solution is needed to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Palestinians need to “disavow” Hamas and then create a new governing authority, likely with international help, Wright said. He supports a two-state solution with a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The conflict in Ukraine could stretch for years, he said. Wright backs the continued U.S. support of Ukraine with military supplies and financial assistance.
Wright said the U.S. defense industry needs to produce enough equipment to aid Israel and Ukraine while not depleting the supplies the nation needs for its own defense.
Wright is 75 and lives in Prospector. He is retired after spending a career in the insurance industry.
Congressional-level candidates from Park City or surrounding Summit County have encountered difficulties as they either attempt to capture a party’s nomination or win a seat on Election Day itself. Donna McAleer won the Democratic nomination twice in the 1st Congressional District, in 2012 and 2014, and was defeated by wide margins in both contests by the Republican. Wright suffered similarly in 2022.
Democrats have long been the leading party in Summit County, but, in the case of congressional elections, the heavily Republican areas elsewhere in the districts have overwhelmed the local votes.
