Gary Pugmire has been involved in just about every election since he was 18 and has been Republican precinct chair in every area he’s lived in for the past three decades. He’s now precinct chair for the Wheeler Park neighborhood in Heber City, a role he’s held for about eight years. “I f eel like lots of people are reluctant to take a leadership role. So by default, I get elected pretty consistently,” he said. The Wasatch County Republican Caucus at Wasatch High School on Tuesday garnered about 450 attendees. Though it was one of many such events Pugmire has attended over the years, he has little love for Utah’s caucus system.  Through the caucus system, local Republican and Democratic parties elect county and state delegates. Delegates represent precincts, or neighborhoods, at the county and state conventions. They vet candidates and vote for who they would like to see represent their political party on the ballot. ​Candidates who do not receive the party nomination can also make it on the ballot through signature-gathering. The Wasatch County Republican Party has 53 precincts, with 53 state delegates and 304 county delegates elected between those precincts. Pugmire’s biggest issue with the system is that it primarily attracts people who are “ultra-wanting to be involved,” leaving out “a big swath of the voters,” particularly political moderates. Despite his issues with the system, Pugmire continues to be involved because he feels it’s the way he can affect most political change. “People worry about federal (issues) because that’s what’s on their evening news. But they forget to worry about … county issues,” he said. “The only way to be an influencer in that is to become either a county delegate or a vice chair or a chair in a precinct.” Luke Searle, who is running for Utah House of Representatives District 59, speaks with Republican caucus attendees on Tuesday. Credit: Christopher Reeves/For The Park Record Midway resident Cary Hobbs agreed. Though he no longer serves as a delegate or chair, he still attends the caucus every two years. “In Utah, the caucus really means a lot because it’s so heavily Republican. Every year, a Democrat might get a chance to win, but probably, it’s pretty tough. So, the best thing you can do is have some influence on which of the Republicans get on the ballot,” he said. As an example of the caucus’ influence, he recalled being a precinct chairman during the Utah Republican Party convention in 2004, during which the party decided not to nominate incumbent Republican Gov. Olene Walker. Walker left office with an 87% approval rating, according to the Deseret News.  “I thought she was great,” Hobbs said. “I get to the precinct meeting, and these hardline Republicans in there say, ‘Absolutely not. We need somebody that’s a man that can get in.’”  Republican Jon Huntsman went on to win the primary election with more than 66% of the vote and was elected governor later that year. Despite the caucus’ influence in Utah, many attendees of the Wasatch County Republican Party’s event Tuesday weren’t sure how the system worked. That was true for lifelong Heber City resident Sydney Holmes.  “I don’t know what a caucus is, still,” she said after entering the building.  Holmes came to learn more about the political process and meet candidates. Though she remembered when there were so many farms in Heber City that cows would consistently wander into her family’s yard, she was on the lookout for candidates who “embrace the growth” rather than unsuccessfully trying to “mitigate it.”  For her, that meant candidates in favor of constructing the Heber Valley bypass, which she hopes will take traffic off of Main Street and increase safety for pedestrians.  Much like Holmes, 18-year-old Wasatch High School senior Matteo Willis didn’t attend the caucus with an understanding of the system, but simply to become more politically involved. The Wasatch County Republican caucus on Tuesday saw volunteers including students from Wasatch High School’s chapter of Turning Point USA. Credit: Christopher Reeves/For The Park Record Willis and several other students volunteered at the event, wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with the word “freedom” in all caps.  The group represented Wasatch High School’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative political organization whose mission is “to identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government,” according to the nonprofit’s website.  Members of the club were invited to volunteer at the caucus by Luke Searle, a Wasatch County councilor and candidate for Utah House District 59. Searle teaches business marketing at the high school and was asked to be Turning Point USA’s adviser by student members. “When I was a young conservative in high school, I was grateful for people who just welcomed me in and helped me get through the process. And so I’m trying to do the same thing,” Searle said.  Willis co-founded the Wasatch High School club with other students after witnessing the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA’s co-founder, Charlie Kirk, at Utah Valley University in September. Now the club has 42 members.  “I saw everything that went down. After seeing that, definitely showed me there’s some evil on this world. I kind of wanted to help start a club to show some important values from Turning Point and my own ideas,” Willis said.  Turning Point USA’s alignment with the Christian right was shared by the Wasatch County Republican Party.  Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco began the caucus with a Christian prayer, and organizers asked attendees to ensure their values aligned with the party’s platform. They read the party’s preamble, which “affirm(s) our belief in God and declare(s) our support for government based upon a moral and spiritual foundation.” Wasatch County Republican Party acting Chair Patty Sprunt then quoted John Adams, who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Sprunt also expressed her gratitude for the prayer Franco had given and for religious freedoms. Patty Sprunt, Wasatch County Republican Party acting chair, expressed her gratitude for religious freedoms at the caucus on Tuesday. Credit: Christopher Reeves/For The Park RecordThe Wasatch County Republican caucus packed Wasatch High School’s auditorium before dividing into rooms by precinct. Credit: Christopher Reeves/For The Park Record Attendees were then divided into various rooms by precincts, where they elected precinct chairs and vice chairs and county and state delegates. Precinct 106, which represents an area in Red Ledges, stayed in the auditorium. The precinct represents some 800 people and is the largest in Wasatch County, with 15 county delegates and two state delegates, as opposed to other precincts’ one.  Jackson Talley, 19, volunteered to be a county delegate. The teenager has been politically involved since he was 16, including as an intern for Sen. John Curtis’ 2024 campaign. Curtis did not receive the Republican Party nomination but was able to get on the ballot by gathering signatures. “I think (the caucus system) allows people to get involved that wouldn’t usually be involved,” Talley said. “But at the same time, I think that signatory system also allows candidates that aren’t endorsed by larger groups … to be able to get their name on the ballot. So I would say I like the current system the way it is right now.” Carol Gallagher volunteered to be a state delegate after serving as an alternate the past two years. Her biggest issues were mitigating property taxes, levying impact fees on developers, bringing down the density of developments and asking candidates about the Utah Department of Transportation’s Heber Valley bypass. Michael Murphy, a Wasatch County planning commissioner, is running for Wasatch County Council Seat F as a Republican. He attended the Wasatch County Republican caucus Tuesday and spoke with residents. Credit: Christopher Reeves/For The Park Record “I hate to see it go through those fields,” she said. “I would ask that to candidates, people that were running. I’d say, ‘OK, if you’re against the North Fields being used as a freeway, what’s your alternative?’ And people struggle. I think we all do. … I don’t know where it can go at this point.” Gallagher’s central principles — “smaller government and values based upon faith, family and country” — were shared by many who attended the caucus that night. There are 15 Republicans running in the upcoming election. This year’s election will determine who fills three Wasatch County Council seats and county sheriff, attorney and clerk positions. It will also fill an opening for a representative for the Utah House of Representatives District 59. Searle and Mark Allen are running for House District 59.  Brett Vance, Rachel Kahler and Steve Farrell are running for Wasatch County Council at-large Seat A. Erik Rowland is running unopposed for reelection to Seat C. Karl McMillan, Bruce Zollinger and Michael Murphy are running for Seat F.  One Republican, Jon Woodward, is running for Wasatch County attorney. The Wasatch County sheriff candidates are all Republicans: incumbent Jared Rigby, Jeremy Hales and Eric Mainord.  The Wasatch County clerk-auditor race is also between Republicans, incumbent Joey Granger and current Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg.  The Republican Party county convention will be held on April 7, during which delegates will vote for party nominees. 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