Hello John,

Travis Suite with Stewardship Utah here. Running for office is one of the most impactful things we can do for our communities. As we navigate the outcomes from this past legislative session, understanding the role running for office has in our advocacy is crucial. We worked with several legislators this last session whose campaigns we’ve supported to help get incredible bills passed. We’ve also seen legislators ignore their community’s concerns and support bills that would actively harm the communities they represent. The latter is not acceptable. We need candidates who work to actively support and listen to their communities, which is why we want to create opportunities for potential candidates to learn more about the process of running for office and build confidence in their abilities to do this work.

At the end of 2023, we put out a call to residents, on a message about climate, to step up and run for office. One candidate who stepped up is Jessica Wignall. She decided to run for State House against a long-time incumbent and outspoken climate denier–someone who had repeatedly worked against protecting Utah’s public lands.

Jessica Wignall during her campaign in 2024

This was Jessica’s first time running for office. She faced numerous hurdles, building a campaign from scratch. With just a month and a half to run her campaign, her determination and strong message put her within just 1,600 votes of unseating one of the worst anti-environment legislators in the state.

Jessica’s story is proof that even in tough races a willingness to make a difference and stand up for the issues and community you believe in can make a real impact. If you’ve ever considered running for office, now is the time. We’re here to help you take that first step.

On April 5th and 6th, we will be partnering with the League of Conservation Voters to host a free, two day candidate training workshop at the Best Western Plus Greenwell Inn, 105 S Main St, Moab, UT 84532. Participants will leave with:

This training has limited availability, please apply to join us!

Onwards,

Travis Suite,

Elections Manager

[email protected]

www.stewardshiputah.org