Utah Political Underground

14/05/2022

26/03/2022

08/02/2022

When the Salt Lake Tribune reported on the state funds being used to enhance security at Governor Spencer Cox’s private home, the Gov’s comms team had to respond. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at how they used Twitter to drive their own narrative and keep the story from growing into a bigger issue.

19/01/2022

The third installment in the COVID trilogy, Omicron, hit the U.S. over the holidays. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at how the message has failed to evolve as fast as the virus mutates and how headlines fail to focus on the right message to influence public behavior.

07/01/2022

ONE YEAR LATER: SENATOR LEE AND JANUARY 6TH

Editor's Note:

One year ago today, protestors at the U.S. Capitol crossed the line metaphorically and physically. They breached Capitol security, sent members of Congress and the Vice President scrambling for safety, and branded upon America images of insurrection. It’s a shameful moment in our nation’s history and the most deplorable of occasions to mark.
As the Utah Political Underground is one week shy of marking our first year of publication, we invite you to read one of our best pieces from last year. Writer Sam Benson traveled to Washington, D.C. to talk with Utah’s senior Senator, Mike Lee about the events leading up to that day, the attack on the Capitol and the fallout a month later (when the story was published). We also recommend you watch the floor speeches that day from both Senator Lee and Senator Mitt Romney.

From our first issue, the Underground has proudly delivered top-notch long-from reporting on the biggest issues in Utah politics. We hope it is of significant value to our readers and we encourage any reading us for the first time (or the first time in a while) to subscribe to our weekly issues for more. You won’t be disappointed.

https://utpolunderground.com/decision-point-senator-lee-and-election-certification/

ON JAN. 4, DONALD TRUMP arrived in Dalton, Ga., to campaign for incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. “Macho Man” by the Village People blared through the speakers, and some 20,000 ralliers cheered as Marine One pulled up behind the stage. As the president stepped out of the helicopte...

18/12/2021

Confidence in America's election system is fundamental to our system of government and it is increasingly under attack. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at what the extremes on both sides are screaming about and how Utah policymakers may have found the winning strategy to make both sides feel like they are getting what they want.

08/12/2021

As some concerned parents raise red flags over library books, school districts find themselves on the defensive. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at why the best way to win a fight is often to avoid one and how welcoming your input from a foe, you can make them into a friend.

18/11/2021

Politics is a contact sport and businesses that take stands on issues need to be prepared for the challenge. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at two Utah businesses that took positions and may have wished they hadn't.

12/11/2021

There's nothing more fundamental to a campaign than voter turnout. So when former President Trump hinted GOP voters may sit out the next two elections, it left many scratching their heads. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at the challenge even a tongue-in-cheek threat like this poses for Republicans as they strategize to take back the White House.

04/11/2021

Candidates pull out all the stops in the final days of a campaign. In municipal elections, the small things can make a big difference. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at one small town where a mayoral candidate deployed a celebrity endorsement and look at how helpful endorsements are in general.

30/10/2021

The Governor and his campaign manager run into a public he-said, she-said and the battle to win the message war was underway. Which camp will write history the way it sees it? We take a closer look in this episode of On Message.

23/10/2021

As the old Head & Shoulders commercial taught us, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. As challengers line up to take on Senator Mike Lee, we look at their introductory videos to see how they are positioning themselves and how they think the incumbent in vulnerable.

15/10/2021

Educators, Industry Leaders Compare Utah’s Second Pandemic Winter to its First

Read more here: https://utpolunderground.com/covid-continued-second-winter/

Educators, Industry leaders compare Utah’s second pandemic winter to its first Heading into a second pandemic winter, the message many Utahns seem to be shouting to policymakers in Washington D.C. is “Don’t tell me what to do.” On Oct. 4, hundreds of residents thronged Utah’s Capitol Hill ...

08/10/2021

Whether you’re one that enjoys more gruesome aspects of professional spying or not, Jennifer Somers recommends Ben Macintyre’s: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War. This is the perfect pick for readers who aren’t quite ready to give up the easy page-turners of summer but are gearing up to start reading more “serious” fare.

For the full review (and more Good Reads):
https://utpolunderground.com/good-reads-the-spy-and-the-traitor-the-greatest-espionage-story-of-the-cold-war/

Who out there doesn’t love a good spy story? I know I do. While I love a behind-the-scenes look at the intrigue of espionage, I could do without all the brutal torture episodes. Whether you’re one that enjoys more gruesome aspects of professional spying or not, I recommend Ben Macintyre’s: The...

05/10/2021

Principal and Interest: The Cost of Redistricting

Will the electoral Frankenstein scare or soothe voters and has the independent commission spent its budget wisely or blown it?

New cover story: https://utpolunderground.com/redistricting-is-the-political-storm-even-on-the-radar/

Will the Electoral Frankenstein Scare or Soothe Voters and has the Independent Commission Spent its Budget Wisely or Blown It? It only happens every 10 years, but the result has ramifications across Utah’s educational, cultural, and civic DNA for a decade. It became such a lightning rod that Utahn...

02/10/2021

If you don't have a fundamental understanding of the legislative process, you are just begging to be hoodwinked. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at how one Senator introduced legislation that has no chance of becoming law and staked out a winning position on a tricky issue just ahead of his upcoming re-election campaign.

https://utpolunderground.com/on-message-introducing-legislation/

29/09/2021

In a hyper-political world with advocates and special interests eager to advance their agenda, every organization is in danger of being dragged into someone else's fight. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at how a school district declaring its neutrality caused an uproar and why doing so was the right move in the long run.

23/09/2021

This week Spencer sits down with Mac Haddow. In this episode, Spencer and Mac talk about Utah’s single most famous political photograph. Listen in to learn more!

https://utpolunderground.com/stokes-folks-season-2-episode-8/

This week Spencer sits down with Mac Haddow. In this episode, Spencer and Mac talk about Utah’s single most famous political photograph. Listen in to learn more!

17/09/2021

It's rare to be happy with a headline but Utah's largest power company scored a two-fold win recently. In this episode of On Message with Marty Carpenter, we look at how environmental groups took a double loss by not taking a victory when it was handed to them.

https://utpolunderground.com/on-message-take-the-w/

16/09/2021

This week on the latest episode of Stokes & Folks, Spencer sits down with Greg Jarrard for a second segment. Greg takes us back through his career in political campaigns. There’s a lot to learn from this campaign veteran!

https://utpolunderground.com/stokes-folks-s2-episode-7/

This week Spencer sits down with Greg Jarrard for a second segment. Greg takes us back through his career in political campaigns. There’s a lot to learn from this campaign veteran!

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Weber State University President Brad Mortensen

https://utpolunderground.com/brad-mortensen-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT BRAD MORTENSEN IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. As I drove to work that Tuesday morning twenty years ago, I pulled out my seldom-used cell phone to call home. I sai...

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Representative Rosemary Lesser

https://utpolunderground.com/rosemary-lesser-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM REPRESENTATIVE ROSEMARY LESSER IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. As the daughter of an Air Force navigator and Air Force nurse, my childhood was spent on military bases around the world. On a daily ...

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Utah County Clerk/Auditor Josh Daniels

https://utpolunderground.com/josh-daniels-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM UTAH COUNTY CLERK/AUDITOR JOSH DANIELS IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. As we reflect on the twenty-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, many will recall the memories of where they we...

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Utah County Commissioner Thomas Sakievich

https://utpolunderground.com/thomas-sakievich-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM UTAH COUNTY COMMISSIONER THOMAS SAKIEVICH IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. From our Norfolk, VA offices of the then U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic, I and other Marine officers witnessed the tel...

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Representative Calvin Musselman

https://utpolunderground.com/calvin-musselman-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM REPRESENTATIVE CALVIN MUSSELMAN IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. Ten years prior to the attack on 9/11 I was still a very young man. I was starting the second chapter of my college experience at ....

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary:

Commentary from Representative Jefferson Burton

https://utpolunderground.com/jefferson-burton-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM REPRESENTATIVE JEFFERSON BURTON IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. September 11, 2001, is a day that most Americans remember with startling clarity. I had just returned from the Pentagon in Washingto...

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series Reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary

Commentary from Representative Val Peterson

https://utpolunderground.com/val-peterson-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM REPRESENTATIVE VAL PETERSON IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. Twenty years ago, I was at a military conference at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. We were off-post when word quickly spread that Post had be....

12/09/2021

What 9/11 Means to Me 20 Years Later

Utah Political Underground’s Opinion Series Reflecting on 9/11’s 20th Anniversary

Commentary from Draper City Councilman Mike Green

https://utpolunderground.com/mike-green-what-9-11-means-to-me-20-years-later/

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS COMMENTARY FROM DRAPER CITY COUNCILMAN MIKE GREEN IS PART OF UTAH POLITICAL UNDERGROUND’S OPINION SERIES REFLECTING ON 9/11’s 20th ANNIVERSARY. I joined the U.S. Army on July 6, 2001. I wanted to serve and move forward with life. I reckoned wearing the uniform would help me...