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Episodes from Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts
Debate week in Utah, Trump fights low approval ratings
Primary season is heating up in Utah as candidate for Utah's congressional race on both sides of the aisle prepare to take the debate stage. Panelists Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan join Lindsay to set both the expectations and the stakes. We are just days away from ballots going to Utahns across the state. Plus, President Donald Trump is dealing with low approval ratings here in Utah. The president has always had a tougher time with Utah voters than those in other red state. We look into what it might take to change that as his party heads into...
State leaders preparing for a long, dry summer as Gov. Cox declares drought
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has declared a drought emergency after a record low snowpack has left our reservoirs below where we'd like them to be heading into the hottest and driest part of the year. It comes amid growing tensions over data center development in the Utah, with locals at city council meetings across the state voicing their concerns about potential environmental impacts of these projects meant to support emerging technology and economic growth. Lindsay Aerts sits down with decision makers in the state's Department of Natural Resources to understand how the state goes about making decisions about our...
New polling on data centers and CD2, Senate Republicans meet with AG about DOJ fund
It's a data driven episode of IUP+ for you today. Rep. Blake Moore's campaign released new internal polling data that shows him with a comfortable lead over state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee. We're also seeing a new local poll digging into how Utahns feel about plans for a data center in Box Elder County, which found that most people are not convinced the economic gains justify the water tradeoffs. Panelists Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner join Lindsay to assess how seriously both polls should be taken and what insight we can glean either way. Plus, GOP lawmakers sound off on...
Trump administration visits China, Prop 4 debate shaping CD-2 primary
President Donald Trump is wrapping up his visit to China to discuss economic collaboration with a large group of business leaders in tow. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Adam Gardiner join Lindsay to discuss what the two countries have to offer one another and how the US should approach the idea of greater economic and security collaboration with China. Plus, Prop 4 is proving to be a major topic of discussion in Utah's CD-2 Republican primary contest. Rep. Blake Moore defends his role in the anti-gerrymandering effort while supporters of Rep. Karianne Lisonbee accuse him of paving the way for Utah...
Justice Hagen steps down, Sen. Curtis considering running for governor
Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen is stepping down after allegations that she was involved in an extramarital affair with the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs suing the state over redistricting. State leaders had been promising a new investigation into the claims that Utah's Judicial Conduct Commission found to be speculative because they don't believe the commission went far enough to investigate them. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray join Lindsay Aerts to unpack what the move signals for judicial independence in Utah. Plus, Utah Senator John Curtis seems to be considering running for governor. We analyze why we're...
Data center tensions boil over, presidential fitness test returns
State and local leaders are facing continued backlash over plans to move forward with a data center planned in Box Elder County. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Erin Rider join Lindsay to discuss how the state and developers can address both the angst and what some are calling confusion and misinformation. For context on the incident between ABC4's Bayan Wang, you can see the full story below and read the accompanying statement. https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/reporter-jj-nursery-utah-senator-jerry-stevenson-box-e…KTVX/KUCW stand on the story we aired and posted on...
Controversial data center moves forward in Box Elder County, Florida redistricting could net GOP 4 seats
The Box Elder County commission votes to move forward with plans for a massive data center despite weeks of public pushback. It's a fraught time for data center development across the country and here in Utah in particular. Just this past week, Governor Spencer Cox came out in support of developing more data centers in our state and across the nation as a matter of national security in the AI tech race against China. Panelists Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan join Lindsay to unpack the impact of this decision and whether the political fallout could be larger than you...
Competition heats up in CD2, State Bar weighs in on judicial tensions
Utah's most senior member in the House is heading into a serious primary challenge. Outgoing state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee is fresh off a commanding victory at the Utah GOP State Convention over incumbent Rep. Blake Moore. She joins Lindsay today to discuss the perspective she hopes to bring to Washington and why she think it's time for voters to move on from Rep. Moore. Plus, some leaders in the state GOP are calling on voters to not retain two justices on the state supreme court. We talk to leadership at the Utah State Bar to hear their concerns about...
Gov. Cox talks judicial tensions, data center controversy
Utah Governor Spencer Cox fielded questions on a slate of hot button issues in his monthly press conference to wrap up April. Reporters, including our own Lindsay Aerts got his take on the controversy over plans for a massive data center in Box Elder County, and the latest flare in tensions between the state leaders and the judiciary. Panelists Adam Gardiner and Erin Rider join the show to react to the governor's positions on the issues and explore the sticky topics that are top of mind for the state's political press corps.
Conventions set the stage for primaries, White House Correspondents Dinner shooting sparks safety concerns
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 renewed fears about how America protects its leaders, as President Trump says it's another reason to finish the White House Ballroom.
Supreme Court scandal report rocks Utah politics, state convention races to watch
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, Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray join Lindsay to unpack the political reaction, and analyze the ethical issues at play.
State party conventions on the horizon, prominent families team up to save the Great Salt Lake
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 families to get more water to the lake as it heads into the summer.