Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts

We're coming off the heels of a big weekend in state politics, where both the Utah GOP and Utah Democrats narrowed down their primary fields for this year's midterm elections. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray weigh in on what we learned about our new congressional districts and what we can expect come election day this June. Plus, gunfire at the White House Correspondent's Dinner sparks ren...

A newly released report on allegations against Supreme Court Justice Dianna Hagen is making a big stir. State leaders are calling for an entirely new investigation, saying the Judicial Conduct Commission did not go far enough when it looked into claims she had an extramarital affair with the lead plaintiff's attorney on the state redistricting case. JCC found those allegations to be speculative, P...

We are just days away from state party nominating conventions. Utah GOP Chair Rob Axson joins Lindsay to look ahead to what we can expect when hundreds of delegates from across the state gather to influence the direction of the party heading into the critical 2026 midterm elections. Plus, Josh Romney joins the program to discuss Great Salt Lake Rising, a new effort from a group of prominent famili...

Newly resurfaced posts from social media accounts linked to Sen. Nate Blouin rock the all-important democratic primary in Utah's first congressional district. The posts contain slurs, jokes about sexual assault and derogatory comments about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Erin Rider join Lindsay to break down the impact the posts could have on both Blou...

It was a busy weekend for Salt Lake County Democrats, long-time DA Sim Gill scraping by to stay on the ballot and Sen. Kathleen Riebe dropping out of the hotly contested CD1 primary race. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray join Lindsay to explain what this tells us about the state of the party heading into their state convention. Plus, President Trump posts and deletes an AI generated image t...

The US Supreme Court rules against a Colorado state law banning conversion therapy on First Amendment grounds, sparking questions over Utah's own ban. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray join Lindsay to unpack what the ruling, and whether the highest court in the land got it right. Plus, the fight in Utah's CD-2 is heating up after a series of high profile endorsements for both Rep. Blake Moor...

Utah's anti-gerrymandering law known as Proposition 4 has been to qualify for the November ballot. The GOP backed effort is vowing to continue its fight. Panelists Erin Rider and Sarah Reale break down what happens next. Plus, with Utah's new map, the Congressional races are already getting spicy. And, Mayor Erin Mendenhall looks to restrict water going to the ICE facility.

Congress debates how to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA workers. Sen. John Curtis outlines what he would like to see from the negotiations. Plus, Curtis responds to President Trump, who says that he will not sign funding without passing the SAVE Act. Plus, Utah's anti-gerrymandering law, known as Proposition 4, has failed to qualify for the November ballot. The executive di...

The effort to put a repeal of Utah's anti-gerrymandering rules on the ballot this year is on the verge of failing to qualify. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray join Lindsay to weigh in on where the Prop 4 fight could go next, and what this whole saga says about the state of direct democracy in Utah. Plus, Senator John Curtis sponsors a bipartisan proposal to ban sites like Kalshi and Polymar...

Our record-breaking winter is over and the results are not pretty. The snowpack may have already peaked weeks earlier than it should have at a record low. Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry joins Lindsay to assess how the policy tools at their disposal can address the serious problem, and what the state's message will be heading into the hot months. Plus, national democr...

Governor Spencer Cox breaks his silence on the plans to put an ICE facility in Salt Lake City. The governor expressed frustration over the lack of coordination with local and state leadership, but ultimately supports a new ICE facility in Utah. Panelists Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan weigh in on the impact a bigger DHS presence could have in our state and the wider issue of immigration enforcement...

Elected democrats have been vocal about their opposition to plans to put an ICE detention facility in Salt Lake City. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Sarah Reale weigh in on the impacts the plan could have on state politics and, possibly, new immigration enforcement. Plus, national democrats are putting their cards on the table; they are working toward a purple Utah. we look at how they could mean to...

Senate President J. Stuart Adams joins Lindsay to unpack the work lawmakers have done this legislative session. That includes big agenda defining items like court reform and tax cuts, but also the bills that caught Utah's attention in the 11th hour. With just minutes left to go in the session, lawmakers passed new regulations around signature removal campaigns that could hamper to effort to keep a...

Congressional candidates are officially filing to run in the primaries, with most of the notable contenders already in the race. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Erin Rider join Lindsay to discuss the new filings, and Phil Lyman and Celeste Maloy in District 3. Plus, a Utah lawmaker voted no to 54% of the 2026 bills, and the panel debates whether that amount is excessive. And is President Trump is requ...

Some 11th hour maneuvers on Capitol Hill have been the talk of the town since Utah's general session wrapped up Friday night. The governor has already signed a bill that would ban signature removal campaigns from pre-paying postage on recission forms. The law take immediate effect, directly impacting the Better Boundaries campaign to keep a repeal of Prop 4 off the November ballot. Panelists Taylo...

45 days goes by in the blink of an eye and lawmakers are done with their work in Utah's 2026 general session. Lindsay sits down with Governor Spencer Cox to discuss his perspective on the work the legislature has accomplished this year from court reform to funding for homelessness. Plus, Sen. Scott Sandall weighs in on water, taxes and what could be on the docket for the next time lawmakers conven...

Congress considers checking President Trump's power to wage war in Iran as the conflict enters heads towards a week long. Panelist Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan join Lindsay to weigh in the conflict today date and how the role Congress could play in the days to come. Plus, lawmakers debate a proposal that would write The Word of Wisdom into our state's drug laws.

President Trump says operations in Iran could go on for longer than a month, as Iran retaliates across the region for the strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Panelists Adam Gardiner and Leah Murray join Lindsay to assess the impact this latest conflict could have on America and our allies. Plus, Utah's legislative session is wrapping up this week. We dig into some of the issues that remain...

Could Utah go back to a secretary of state running elections? One lawmaker has drawn up the plan to make it happen in the final days of the legislative session despite the senate cooling on the idea. Plus, Rep. Cal Roberts explains the big picture on Utah's 6-month cut to the gas tax and how the state is working to keep energy prices lower in the long term. We also dive into Utah's presence at the...

President Donald Trump broke the all-time record for the longest State of the Union address in his speech to Congress Tuesday night. Panelists Rusty Cannon and Taylor Morgan join Lindsay to unpack the highlights and lowlights. Plus, the Utah GOP sues Better Boundaries over their recission campaign's use of pre-paid postage on mailers asking voters to remove their signatures from the push to put Pr...

A federal court has declined a request for an injunction to block a judge-imposed congressional map, just as the Utah Supreme Court has dismissed the legislature's appeal of that same map at the state level. That means, barring action from a higher court, Utah's newest congressional map all but confirmed to stay in place for the 2026 midterm election. The map includes the state's first democrat-le...

We have just two weeks left in Utah's general legislative session for 2026. It's a sprint to the finish with some big proposals left to debate. Will Utah tax social media companies? What's going to be in the state budget? Will the state ban non-citizens from public benefits? Our panel of insiders and experts answers these question. Plus, the federal case to overturn Utah's new congressional map me...

A plan to reduce the gas tax has been unveiled on Utah's Capitol Hill, but now that it will cut state revenue instead of taxing refineries, is it the right plan for Utah? Panelists Adam Gardiner and Sarah Reale weigh in. Plus, Utah's redistricting case hits the federal court, and the Utah legislature is weighing changes to the Utah Fits All scholarship.

Utah Republicans are rushing to meet the deadline to put a possible repeal of prop 4 on the ballot. It's a heavy lift, requiring 8% of all active voters in 26/29 senate districts. Utah GOP chair Rob Axson thinks they can get it done, he joins Lindsay to dive into the massive effort to give the voters a chance to weigh in on redistricting one more time. Plus, comments from an American athlete in It...

Governor Spencer Cox had some pointed words for the media at the Games in Milan after reporters asked him about a back-and-forth between a US skier and President Trump. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray weigh in. Meanwhile, Utah's House leadership is pushing a bill to require by-mail ballots to be returned in person with ID. There are some signs of tension at the Utah legislature, and a bill...