SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The Utah Democratic Party will be hosting its state organizing convention next week.

The party is taking the show on the road to Cedar City, Utah. Delegates will gather at Southern Utah University on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

“The state party for at least the last 10, 15 years has been pretty heavily focused on the Wasatch Front, and we need to be more of a state party. There’s a lot of great things to do in Cedar. The city itself if beautiful, it’s really starting to grow up, and we’re seeing a lot more people move down there. The college, Southern Utah University, is a great campus and there’s a lot of nature there. We know we have democrats in every corner of the state, and we need to start giving them some attention,” said UDP executive director Thom Desirant.

Desirant says this year’s theme is “Building for Lasting Change” and the convention will be straight forward.

“Party business this year is going to be about party leadership really. We don’t really, we don’t have any bylaw amendments, we don’t have any constitutional amendments. This year is really going to be focused on building for 2024,” he said.

Current chair Diane Lewis is seeking reelection against challenger Jacob Lawson. Current vice chair Oscar Mata has two challengers in Nick Mitchell and Daniel Osterstock.

“Delegates are really weighing their options and looking for leadership who is going to do a good job next year,” he said.