Washington D.C. –
Utah is quickly becoming a proving ground for the independent political movement
The Forward Party announced today its full slate of candidates running for Utah state legislative and county offices. Totaling 21 candidates in full, this electoral cohort reflects the most vibrant third-party candidate field in Utah in years. The Forward Party is continuing to build momentum behind its national movement centering independent governance, common sense legislating, and a wholesale rejection of partisan party politics.
At the center of the conversation is Utah Senate District 11’s Emily Buss, whose Democratic candidate counterpart recently withdrew from this November’s race, leaving Buss in a direct one-on-one contest against Republican challenger Brooks Benson. The withdrawal is the latest in a string of Democratic race exits across the country this cycle, inclusive of Idaho, South Dakota and Nebraska, as candidates from the major parties grapple with third-party competitors gaining ground with voters.
“We have five candidates running head-to-head against established party candidates. The recent developments in Utah provide a leading indicator that Utahns desire increased optionality in candidates, and increasingly want their choices to stand outside of the entrenched two-party system.”
-Lindsey Drath, CEO, Forward Party
Buss has spent her first year in office demonstrating the Forward Party’s principal assertion: that a legislator who owes nothing to a party caucus is free to actually represent the people who sent them there. Buss stands with 20 other Forward Party candidates across the state of Utah, and with independent candidates reshaping what competitive elections look like in 2026 and beyond.
“What happens next in Senate District 11 is more than a competition for a single seat. It’s a contest between the status quo and a new vision for how our political system could operate. Sixty percent of Utah voters say they don’t feel represented by either the Republican or Democratic party. That is a supermajority of voters who are looking for something different.”
-Phil Boileau, Forward Party of Utah
Forward Party of Utah’s 2026 slate spans seven state senate seats, eleven state house seats and three county offices.
Utah Senate Candidates
- Julie Quinlan — Senate District 1 (Box Elder, Cache, Tooele County)
- Josh Smith — Senate District 6 (Clearfield, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse)
- J. Lowry Snow – Senate District 9 (Salt Lake City)
- Sen. Emily Buss — Senate District 11 (Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah County) — incumbent; America’s only sitting third-party elected official
- Colin Smith — Senate District 13 (Millcreek, Murray, South Salt Lake, Salt Lake City)
- Annette McRae — Senate District 20 (Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, Wasatch County)
- Wayne Woodfield — Senate District 21 (American Fork, Highland, Lehi, Pleasant Grove)
Utah House Candidates
- Patrick Belmont — HD-03
- James Rich — HD-06
- Libby Shelton — HD-08
- Tony De Mille — HD-13
- Cabot Nelson — HD-23
- Wales Nematollahi — HD-28
- Tynley Bean — HD-29
- John Boyd — HD-53
- Julie Smith — HD-63
- Alan Wessman — HD-64
- Zeno Parry — HD-70
County Candidates
- David Hinckley — Utah County Seat B
- Russ Rampton — Utah County Clerk
- Gary New — Weber County At-Large A
Full candidate information and campaign websites are available at:
