Anti-transgender campaign targets Utah legislators, has ties to Sen. Mike Lee
A campaign of text messages and mailed postcards is targeting Utah legislators who are running for re-election who voted “against Utah girls” by opposing anti-transgender bills in the past two legislative sessions.
The text sent to the phone of QSaltLake Magazine‘s editor reads, “Protecting women’s sports and our girls is common sense. Unfortunately, Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost continues to vote AGAINST Utah’s girls. Vote for common sense. Vote against Jennifer Dailey-Provost.”
The attached graphic lists Preserving Utah Values PAC as the text’s sender. A website for the PAC calls out certain Utah legislators who voted to allow: “males to use girls (sic) locker rooms,” “males to play girls (sic) sports,” and “irreversible transgender surgeries for minors.”
The legislators are Representatives Rosemary Lesser, Sandra Hollins, Jennifer Dailey-Provost, Angela Romero, Sahara Hayes, Doug Owens, Carol Moss, Ashlee Matthews, Andrew Stoddard, Gay Lynn Bennion, Joel Briscoe, Brian King, and Mark Wheatley. Also listed are Senators Luz Escamilla, Kathleen Riebe, Karen Kwan, and Stephanie Pitcher. The site once had listed Republican Senators Daniel Thatcher and Todd Weiler, but their names have since been removed.
“Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or Independent, wrong is wrong,” the website continues. “Stand up for our daughters. Protect our children.”
It finishes with “Stay informed, Preserve Utah values, not dangerous nonsense.
The site lists no contact information or author but says it is paid for by the “Preserving Utah Values Fund.” No information on such a fund is listed with the state of Utah, but the Preserving Utah Values PAC is registered with the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s office.
The PAC’s filing shows Thomas Datwyler as treasurer and primary officers. Datwyler is also treasurer of many conservative and ultra-conservative candidates, organizations, and election denial groups through his business, 9Seven Consulting. These include PACs run by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, the campaigns of Lee, Sen. Mike Kennedy, and Colby Jenkins, and the Green Dragon Society run by Lee’s chief of staff, Dan Hauser, that has the “noble objective of restoring and reaffirming the foundational principles of the American Republic” by “upholding the horizontal and vertical protections of federalism and separation of powers.”
Datwyler has several lawsuits directed at him, and his business and was tied up with former U.S. Rep. George Santos. He has not responded to media inquiries about the suits.
Citizens for Ethics recently reported that a “super PAC supporting Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a group” called Liberty Champions, which is affiliated with Datwyler. Citizens for Ethics said that Liberty Champions spent more than $1.6 million on independent expenditures supporting Sen. Lee in his 2022 Senate reelection effort.
It is not known if Lee or any of the other Utah legislators represented by Datwyler are part of the Preserving Utah Values PAC, as no other information but the name, address, and Datwyler’s name has been filed with the state.
This story is included in the November 2024 issue of QSaltLake Magazine
