The new Republican leadership of the Utah House of Representatives pose for a group photo on Nov., 15. They are (from left) Rep. Casey Snider (R-Paradise), assistant majority whip; Rep. Karianne Lisonbee (R-Clearfield), majority whip; Rep. Mike Schultz (R-Hooper), Speaker of the House; and Rep. Jefferson Moss (R-Saratoga Springs), majority leader (Image courtesy of Facebook).
SALT LAKE CITY – Rep. Mike Schultz (R-Hooper) was sworn-in as speaker of the Utah House on Nov. 15 and the state’s Democratic Party reacted with typical disapproval.
“There is absolutely no place in our state for election denial or voter suppression,” said Diane Lewis, the chair of the Utah Democratic Party. “As Mike Schultz takes the speaker’s gavel, Utah should remember his history of supporting both.”
Schultz is replacing Brad Wilson in the speaker’s role. The Republican from Kaysville resigned from the Legislature effective earlier that day to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Mitt Romney.
Romney announced in September that he would not seek a second term in the Senate.
After serving as GOP majority leader, Schultz’ election to the top leadership post in the Utah House was confirmed voice acclamation during a special session for that purpose. He was sworn-in by the departing Wilson.
But Lewis branded what she called Schultz’ “record of election denial” as dangerous.
In November of 2021, Lewis said that Schultz signed onto a letter from Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Arizona) calling for the U.S. House to retroactively decertify the 2020 electoral college vote, which would have overturned that election nearly a year after President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
That largely symbolic letter was seen by Democrats as a litmus test for die-hard supporters of former President Donald Trump, election-deniers and conspiracy theorists.
A month later, in his role of House majority leader, Schultz requested a legislative audit to “assess the integrity and accuracy of voter rolls; the legitimacy and security of submitted ballots; and the systems and processes within election offices.”
“I believe it is important to provide assurance to Utahns that our election systems and processes continue to be well-secured, fair and above reproach,” Schultz said when Democrats objected to the idea of any audit that might question the validity of the 2020 election.
The state’s Democratic minority weren’t alone in raising those objections. Without specifically addressing Schultz’ requested audit, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson condemned what she called destructive efforts to undermine public trust and faith in Utah’s mail-in ballot election systems for the explicit purpose of restricting voter access.
“I agree with the lieutenant governor,” Lewis said after Schultz was confirmed Wednesday as Speaker of the Utah House, calling such efforts baseless and extremely dangerous.
“We simply can’t afford to have an election denier in the speaker’s chair,” she emphasized. “That’s especially true as Republicans continue to propose bills to end our vote-by-mail system and undermine our elections.”
While citing no specifics, Schultz predicted that Republican priorities in the upcoming 2024 legislative session will include water issues, transportation and energy.
He also urged lawmakers to work hard to regain the trust of their constituents.
“There’s a lot of distrust in government right now,” Schultz said, citing the continuing deadlock in the U.S. Congress. “I want the (Utah) House of Representatives to earn some of that trust back.”
Following Schultz’ assumption of the speaker’s role, Rep. Jefferson Moss (R-Saratoga Springs) was elected to fill Schultz’s place as the new majority leader of the House. The Utah County resident had previously served as majority whip.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee (R-Clearfield) moved up from majority assistant whip to majority whip.
A new face also joined the ranks of the Republican leadership in the House when Rep. Casey Snider (R-Paradise) was elected as assistant majority whip after serving as chair of the House Rules Committee.