Talk to most any bread-and-better conservative, especially here in Utah, and the values that make them proud conservatives and Republicans will be some variation of fidelity to the US Constitution, commitment to the rule of law, peace through strength, more governing decisions made close to home and fewer in far away Washington D.C., and one nation under God with liberty for all. These are the values that constitute what’s often called Reagan conservatism since Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s is considered the high watermark of their national appeal. These are the values held by multiple generations of American conservatives and are the binding sinews that connect us both to the founders who forged our great nation and to the Utah pioneers who come to the tops of the mountains seeking the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience.

But despite these being the common held values of the average conservative and Republican, a new right-wing faction has increasingly held sway over the last decade within the Republican Party who, despite claiming to pay homage to traditional conservative values and to be heirs to the legacy of Reagan Republicanism, has led the GOP and many of those who still think of themselves as conservative to depart from basic tenets of conservative civic convictions. 

Variously called MAGA, the New Right, or National Conservatism, this strand of right-wing activism and thought holds very little sacred that traditional conservatives hold as paramount and inalienable. This faction is haughty, distempered, and even unhinged in the manner they go about arguing for their brand of right-wing politics. In many ways, they are a council of despair, all but having given up on basic ideas of decency, character, commitment to fair play, and trust in our constitutional system. They are not even shy in admitting that they want to “play by the left’s rules” as they seek, not to unravel the growth of government, the violations of liberty, or the undermining of the constitutional order but to precipitate these things in the name of their own nationalized, centralized, big brother schemes. 

And the results in the Republican Party’s electoral prospects have been as might be assumed. In 2016, the Republican Party had majorities in both Houses of Congress, controlled the White House, held 31 State governorships, and controlled 37 State Senates and 33 State Houses. Thanks to the gains of the Tea Party years, we were on the precipice of a conservative revolution unseen since 1984 when Ronald Reagan won re-election with the support of 49 states. But since 2016, the Republican Party lost control of the Senate, they have the smallest majority possible in the House, they no longer control the White House, they only hold 27 State governorships, they control only 29 State Senates and 27 State Houses. And there is little indication that this trend will change any time soon without meaningful efforts to change the present direction of the Republican Party.

In 2024, as evidenced by the numbers of Republican voters who cast votes for such political options as Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, a small but not insignificant number of conservatives and Republicans have finally said that enough is enough. We recognize that the serious issues our country faces both at home and abroad require a true conservative vision and a conservative party to sell that vision to the country. But under the Republican Party as it presently stands, there is little evidence of a conservative vision nor of the seriousness and soberness necessary to make a persuasive case to the American people of its value. This unacceptable situation cannot be allowed to continue. American needs a conservative party.

And so, serious-minded Republican voters have begun to coalesce under the banner of the Reagan Caucus and her various state and college chapters, pledging to work together toward a restoration of the Republican Party that stood for timeless values and that has championed a winning conservative message so often in the past. We want to see conservative governance and we’ve determined its high time a new faction arises within the GOP who will rebuild it as a party that can deliver conservative governance. 

We know what the naysayers will say, that the form of government established by our founding fathers no longer exists, that the Constitution has become a dead letter, and that voters who are not currently open to a conservative message are unpersuadable and attempts to engage them is a lost cause. But such cynicism and such nihilism is not befitting the conservative sensibility. Conservatism, if it’s anything, is gratitude for what we have and hope that it can endure. If we lose a grasp on this gratitude and hope, then what are we? Certainly not conservative.

We at the Utah Reagan Caucus simply do not believe that this wonderful thing called the American Republic for whom so many generations have sweat, bled, and died for can disappear so easy into the mists of time. Nor do we believe that time-tested truths and principles suddenly cease to have relevance or staying power in the face of whatever calamities strip us of our faith and resolve. We believe the sacrifices of those who came before us built a strong foundation for our great nation, that truth endures, and that principles are meant for the hard times and not for times of ease.

Join us as we endeavor to restore and renew the Republican Party into an effective vessel for the conservative vision our country so desperately needs. Sign our national pledge to dependably participate in GOP caucuses and primaries and vote for principled Reaganite Republicans, and then join us here in Utah as we champion the Utah-based conservative approach that has served our state so well for so long. Supporter membership is free and includes access to our weekly newsletter and updates on events across the state of Utah. Our full membership is available to those willing to support our efforts by committing a $10 yearly membership pledge, and in addition to our weekly newsletter and event updates full members will be invited to special monthly digital roundtables and other exclusive events as they become available.