By McKenzie Romero | Editor
The story of the week across the nation and in Utah was the blue wave of Democrat victories on Election Day that dramatically shifted government and politics at all levels.
Those stunning results hit home in the Utah Legislature late Friday night when Senate Republicans convened to select a new leader to replace ousted Senate President Stuart Adams, but with an apparent front-runner losing his reelection bid. Meanwhile, in the House, a shrunken Republican majority grappled with the message they got from voters.
In this weekend’s Dispatch we take you to the Utah Capital for the first time since Election Day as legislators selected their leadership in closed caucus meetings, and bring you our top stories of the week including seismic Democratic leads following the election and a call for Sen. Kathleen Riebe to resign.
“I think we have to be real about that. We have to be humble about that. … We’ve lost their trust in a certain way.” — Newly selected Utah Senate President Evan Vickers on the message voters sent Republicans on Election Day.
Newly-elected Senate President Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, (left) and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, speak to reporters after their caucus’ closed-door leadership elections at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Nov. 6, 2026. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
Sen. Evan Vickers was described by his colleagues as a “common sense, fiscal conservative” legislator who also acts as a “collaborator” across party lines. Sitting shoulder to shoulder with House Speaker Mike Schultz, who will continue in his role, Vickers told reporters based on this week’s election, it’s clear “the public has lost some trust.”
Senate Democrats also caucused behind closed doors to pick their next slate of leaders for 2027. While they’ve seen drama in recent days after voting to remove Sen. Kathleen Riebe from their caucus over allegations of harassment and discrimination, their leadership remained mostly the same, picking Sen. Luz Escamilla to continue serving as minority leader.
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