People's Party (Utah) - History of Success

History of Success

With only a handful of defeats, the party was supported by an overwhelming majority in most elections. Championing the cause of Women's suffrage, with the vote extended to women in the territory 1870, helped the party emphasize its strength. Most non-Mormons in the territory were men, often miners, so the People's Party gained a distinct advantage.

Throughout its history, People's Party candidates never lost a statewide election. Local elections were lost to the Liberals under dubious circumstances, such as with the "Tooele Republic", and after harsh anti-polygamy legislation disqualified many LDS voters in the 1880s before the 1890 Manifesto halted further LDS plural marriages.