'Going to be ready': Dems warn Mike Lee 'broke something open in Utah' with joke
In the wake of Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) incendiary social media posts linking the recent Minnesota shootings to “Marxists” and Democratic leaders, national and Utah Democrats are racing to turn public outrage into lasting political consequences, reporter Lauren Egan noted in a piece for The Bulwark published Thursday.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do on the ground level to convince people that Democrats aren’t, you know, demons and eating babies trying to make everyone have an abortion," Democratic state Sen. Nate Blouin said.
Blouin further told The Bulwark that constituents from across the political spectrum were calling and emailing him, demanding accountability and asking how they could help.
“Mike Lee isn’t going to stop tweeting,” said one Democratic strategist in Utah. “And every time he posts something like this, we’re going to be ready.”
What began as horror and condemnation has evolved into a coordinated effort to keep the backlash alive — and to use it as a springboard to weaken Lee ahead of 2028, per the article.
Lee, a Utah Republican, sparked widespread backlash after posting on the social platform X that “[t]his is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,” in response to the shooting that left Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband dead.
In another post, he appeared to link the shooter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) confronted Lee at a Republican caucus meeting over the posts. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told him it wasn’t funny. A senior Smith staffer sent a scathing email to Lee’s office condemning his remarks.
According to The Bulwark, the backlash prompted Utah Democrats to hold urgent strategy sessions just hours after the tweets were posted, aimed at turning this moment into something enduring.
Gabi Finlayson, a co-founder of Elevate Strategies, a Democratic consulting firm in Utah, told The Bulwark: “I think [Lee’s tweets about the shootings] really broke something open in Utah."
“There certainly is a lot more urgency. The idea that we truly have to get him out of office is no longer a theoretical thing or just a liberal idea. It is a moral imperative," Finlayson added.
Democrats are also considering launching a new anti-Lee Super PAC, according to the piece. Other options under review include filing a formal complaint with the Utah Bar Association, pressuring corporate donors to cut ties, and urging congressional leaders to censure Lee or strip his committee assignments.
According to the report, some privately expressed frustration that national Democratic leadership hasn’t already acted.
“We’ve got to find something better,” Brian King, the chair of the Utah Democratic Party, told The Bulwark.
He continued: "It’s obvious this is not going to play well with Utahns who place a high value on civility. This kind of action—the lacking in empathy, the indecency and just nastiness—has really motivated people and caused them to say, ‘We’ve got to find something better.’”