Sen. Thatcher, Michelle Quist, and Gov. Christine Todd Whitman delivered impassioned speeches to a crowd of supporters
4/26/2025
Today at the combined convention of the United Utah Party (UUP), and the Utah Forward Party (FWD), which took place at Salt Lake Community College, both parties agreed to accept the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) stipulating the details of a formal merger of the two parties, which will take place over the next several months.
The newly merged party is coordinating with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to facilitate the merger, which is unprecedented in Utah, and for which no current legal code exists.
Both parties voted as independent entities before combining for a joint session which featured speeches by newly-elected Chair Michelle Quist, State Senator Daniel Thatcher (SD 11), and Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and Administrator of the EPA under President Geroge W. Bush, who founded the Forward Party alongside Andrew Yang in 2021.
In addition to the merger vote, both parties participated in the voting for 2025 State Priorities. Read more about the Forward Party’s approach to priorities here: https://www.utahforwardparty.org/priorities.
Below content includes:
Links to unedited videos of speeches by all Principals listed above
Excerpts of speeches delivered by Sen. Thatcher and Michelle Quist
Quotes by National Party leaders Whitman and Andrew Yang
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Video Links
Links to speeches by Whitman, Thatcher, and Quist can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbq43souze43MDNEd8aKKvy-ixQSuSqf7
Speech Excerpts and Quotes
Excerpts from the speeches by Thatcher and Quist follow:
Daniel Thatcher
Since the announcement of my affiliation with the Forward Party in March, many have questioned why I would change my principles. Let me be clear, my principles have never changed. I remain solidly fixed upon Constitutional rights, reason, and respectful dialog even in disagreement.
Because I believe that the GOP has ceased to uphold the rule of law, the Constitution, and its own platform, they are no longer entitled to my support. My commitment is not to a party, or any specific individual. My commitment is to principles.
Parties and individuals are transitory. Even policy can and must change as new data and new evidence emerges. Like the North Star, principles are immutable and the only way to be certain of your course.
I have found a party that is committed to my core principles, the inalienable rights of all, that reason should guide policy, and that respect and decency are non-negotiable. I'm done being mired in the crazy making. I'm moving forward.
The Forward Party is different than anything you've seen before. Other parties choose their policy positions based on rhetoric not reason. The Forward Party, by contrast, chooses priorities without a predetermined solution in mind, allowing data and reason to arrive at the optimal policy.
I value the insight, experience, and opinions of others which is why I don’t want to fight Republicans or Democrats; I want to fight ignorance and contempt. I am proud to be part of the Forward Party, and I know for a fact, that I’m not alone.
I’ve known Michelle Quist for almost 15 years. Michelle is principled, absolutely brilliant, and she has the moral fortitude to keep building this party and change the course of politics in Utah. I'm excited to support her because I believe in what we can accomplish under her leadership.
Michelle Quist
The governor recently said politics can sometimes be a blood sport. But our lives cannot be the product of a zero sum game.
Utahns want three separate, individual branches of government that respect each other, and don’t conspire to tear the other down. Utahns want to stop spending money defending unconstitutional laws –and losing–in court. Utahns want their government to listen to them. This isn’t rocket science - this is ethical government. This is good leadership - people who do what they say and say what they do.
The most common question I got on the campaign trail last year about the party was WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR. People know what Republicans stand for and they know what Democrats stand for but they don’t think they know what third parties stand for. That is our challenge.
I could explain that we stand for ethical government, or increased funding for public education and increase opportunities, or a free market system with an efficient tax system, or responsible environmental stewardship, or protection against discrimination, but mostly I would explain that we stand for better government - we believe in principles over policies, because good principles - democracy, individual liberties, due process, transparency and ethical government - lead to honest collaboration and good policies.
I would rather have principles and no policies than policies and no principles.
And now, combined with the Utah Forward Party, we can focus on Priorities that Utahns choose to focus on, like water or housing affordability or government transparency. Those are the priorities that Utahns care about. It does no good in Utah for a national party to dictate what we believe in - and then for that national party to abandon all of its alleged beliefs in pursuit of cheap popularity and easy votes. Either you believe in due process or you don’t. Either you believe in family values or you don’t.
In New York City after 9/11 - it didn’t matter that we came from different places, were different colors, had different beliefs, were different religions, and wanted different things in life, for a beautiful moment, we were just New Yorkers who wanted to help to solve a problem for others who were hurting. Humility, empathy, and gratitude.
Our new, combined party can be this type of force here in Utah. There are real problems Utahns are facing. But our leaders aren’t listening because they’re too busy trying to win their partisan blood sport..
The two party system has not served us well - it was never meant to! We cannot see beyond the “us vs them” mentality. It’s time to move beyond that psyche and look to do what’s best for Utah. It’s time to listen to Utahns. And to support leaders who listen to Utahns. Let’s model that type of leadership. And let’s demand that type of leadership.
Utahns don’t like the extremism in politics. Many are disengaging - or looking elsewhere from the GOP. Let’s give them a reason to reengage. Good candidates. Positive messages. Honest government. And something to believe in.
I’m so glad you’re here. Join us. Volunteer. Donate. Spread the word. Run for office. But most of all - vote. The second most frequent comment I got on campaign trail was I love your message - show me you can win, and then I’ll jump on board. Well, it has to be the other way around. Together, we can make a difference here in Utah. And I can’t wait to get started.
Christine Todd Whitman
I’ve had the pleasure of following Utah politics from afar for some time. There is something about living here that inspires its citizens to serve their country and to remain more civically engaged. For a long time, Utah Republicans always seemed to espouse their conservative values with a special sense of decency and good-heartedness. And, for some, that of course remains true to this day, and I continue to admire and appreciate their efforts.
But there is also a broader, unsettling trend nationally, and Utah has unfortunately not been spared. At this particular moment in history, the ugliness of partisan politics is on full display. It certainly seems as if there are more and more politicians comfortable with abandoning their dedication to decency and good-heartedness. Name-calling and divisive language rules the day, and that’s no way to act when you're an elected leader.
The Forward/UUP Convention and merger this week has shown me there is still so much hope that we can return to our values. The 200 or so folks who were in attendance were just the tip of the spear. The people of Utah deserve a Party that represents them. Since 2017, the United Utah Party carried this baton, and now it’s been passed to Forward. The name has changed, but the values of the UUP remain steadfastly represented. I have no doubt that in due time all their hard work will be rewarded, and the people will benefit from it.
Andrew Yang
The polls say that 60% of voters want a new political party, and it's no wonder why. The existing parties have failed to address the biggest issues facing voters. People want job security and to plan for their retirement; they want their kids to be safe, they want to live in a nation of laws that protect them, they don’t want to be told they need to hate their neighbors if they disagree with them on some policy position. They want their representatives to pay attention to their lives and listen to their needs.
Instead, the legacy parties are focused on maintaining power and the "us versus them" fight that keeps their fundraising totals high.
I tried to reform the system from the inside, but I found that it wouldn't work, because the incentives were all wrong. Instead, I worked with others to start a new party, so that we could build it from the bottom up with the right incentives in place.
We're already seeing it working across the country. We are building a 50-state movement, and Utah is at the forefront of that. Already, we're seeing great leaders stand up. Volunteers are building the party, and elected officials like Senator Thatcher are joining us. We're building alliances that turn into mergers, like with the United Utah Party.
Utah is a unique state, and it's ready for a new option that reflects its values. It's ready to move Forward.
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For additional context and comments from all principles, contact Phil Boileau at [email protected] or (801) 441-0031.
