Bryan Schott

Salt Lake City

Journalist at Freelance

I write about politics. Sometimes it goes well. Support my work at https://t.co/sOMZ997JX4

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Articles

Rep. Burgess Owens brands arrested Palestinian student a 'terrorist' without proof

1 month ago | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

In a tense hallway exchange, Utah Rep. Burgess Owens branded Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil a “terrorist” several times — offering zero evidence to back up his claim. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and prominent Palestinian protest organizer, was arrested on Saturday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who informed him his student visa had been revoked.
Sen. Daniel Thatcher leaves GOP, joins Utah Forward Party

1 month ago | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher announced Friday he's abandoning the Republican Party to join the fledgling Utah Forward Party after years of mounting frustration. Thatcher says the decision was a long time coming. “People kept asking me, what was the last straw? The reality is there wasn’t a last straw. I feel like it’s been just bales of hay after bales of hay,” Thatcher said. Thatcher's defection comes with a scathing indictment of his former party.
Taxpayers fund Utah Speaker's $6k monthly PR videos

1 month ago | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Utah taxpayers are footing a $6,000 monthly bill for slickly produced videos that appear to be part of a campaign to promote House Speaker Mike Schultz's personal brand rather than serving as official legislative communications. The videos, which have garnered only a few hundred views online, are part of a taxpayer-funded PR operation that has paid out nearly $150,000 to a private consulting firm since 2023.
"Chemtrails" conspiracy theory sparks new Utah Legislature bill

Jan 16, 2025 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

A conspiracy theory about “chemtrails” — a debunked claim that airplanes are secretly spraying toxic chemicals into the sky — has found its way into the Utah State Legislature through a new bill that criminalizes certain forms of atmospheric modification. Sen.
Big donors dominate Cox & Lyman's million-dollar Utah race

Oct 2, 2024 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Oct 2, 2024 • 3 min read Most of Phil Lyman's campaign cash has come from a shadowy company with connections to the Lyman family Republican Spencer Cox has reeled in more than $2.1 million in contributions this year for his re-election campaign, just over half of the $4 million he raised in 2020. Most of Cox's campaign cash comes from deep-pocketed individuals, political action committees and corporations.
Salt Lake County GOP ousts State Central Committee member over homophobic slur

Sep 29, 2024 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

The Salt Lake County GOP Executive Committee removed Casey Gale, a paid supporter of gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman, from a party leadership position earlier this week over his use of a homophobic slur in a social media post.
Timing is everything: Spencer Cox's curiously timed donations

Sep 27, 2024 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Gov. Spencer Cox's campaign has a habit of receiving well-timed donations On Friday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Cox's campaign accepted a $10,000 donation from a U.S. subsidiary of an Australian company seeking state approval of a controversial lithium extraction program on the Green River. State Engineer Teresa Wilhemsen approved the application in May. A month later, she agreed to reconsider that decision following protests from several groups, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Legislative Republicans rush to fix terrible threat of voters making decisions

Sep 10, 2024 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Last month, the GOP-controlled Utah Legislature rushed into an "emergency" special session to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would guarantee their ability to alter or change any ballot initiatives approved by voters. The "emergency" was a ruling from the Utah Supreme Court that lawmakers overstepped their authority when they gutted Prop. 4, the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative, which narrowly passed in 2018. Prop.
A Russian propagandist and a John Bircher walk into the Delta Center...

Sep 9, 2024 | utahpoliticalwatch.news | Bryan Schott

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who recently hosted a Nazi sympathizer on his show, rolled into the Delta Center on Friday with Glenn Beck, a favorite of the far-right in Utah, in tow for his live stadium show. The Deseret News' Brigham Tomco reports the two men shared an apocalyptic and religious message with the several thousand people in attendance.
Elon Musk donates $10K to Utah GOP, thanks to Mike Lee

Sep 6, 2024 | utah-politics.ghost.io | Bryan Schott

Sen. Mike Lee's online friendship with Twitter/X CEO Elon Musk is paying dividends for Utah Republicans. According to Federal Election Commission data, Musk donated $10,000 to the Utah Republican Party on July 12. That same month, Musk made a $16,600 donation to the "Victory Fund" created by former 2nd Congressional District Republican candidate Colby Jenkins. Those contributions appear to be the only donations to federal candidates made by Musk during the 2024 election cycle.