Controversial Utah Sen. Daniel Thatcher, who recently defected to the Utah Forward Party after leaving the Republicans, announced his resignation after 14 years in office. He pointed to health issues, which arose after a 2022 stroke, as the reason for his retirement.
For context, Thatcher has often faced criticism for his progressive views, which frequently frustrated his constituents. For instance, he drew massive backlash for his opposition to a ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
In any case, while announcing his retirement, Sen. Daniel Thatcher celebrated his record. “I have now served more than half my adult life. I am rightfully proud of the work I’ve done, the friends I’ve made, the votes I’ve cast and for always keeping my word, no matter the cost or difficulty,” Sen. Thatcher said.
Adding more context about what would come next for his seat, Thatcher took to X, posting, “My first obligation is not to any political party, but rather to my constituents. To give them the best outcome, I am announcing my intention to resign prior to the next general legislative session.”
Following up, he continued his thread. “In accordance with state law, the Forward Party and I will take this opportunity to carry out a first-of-its-kind, open and honest replacement process,” the bizarre senator added.
Concluding his social media posts, the Utah Forward Party Senator said, “It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve in the State Senate. I will continue to serve to the best of my ability as this process unfolds; a better process, that respects all voters, and restores the representation necessary for a functional republic. Time to move FORWARD.”
Providing background on the bizarre party, Michelle Quist, Utah Forward Party Chair, explained the reason it was founded, and Thatcher left the GOP. “Utah’s Republican supermajority has built a system designed to elect their political elite, and then protect them at all costs. The Forward Party is doing things differently. The unprecedented process we’re launching today gives the people of District 11, all of them, the power to decide who represents them. Parties don’t own these seats. People do,” she whined.
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Adding more information on this topic, Sen. Daniel Thatcher said, “We used to reason together. We used to listen to the people who would be impacted by our bills and try to find a way to solve policy problems without creating bigger problems and we just don’t do that anymore. The respect is gone. The human dignity is gone.”
However, even before he defected, Thatcher advocated a series of unpopular opinions. Speaking on a proposed transgender sports ban bill, he complained, “We want to protect our girls, but this bill hurts our girls. It hurts the trans community. I think it violates the Constitution. And I think it wastes money. It’s political theater.” When the same issue was before the House, he entoened, “In our rush to show that we’re doing something, I think we’re doing the wrong something.”