Following Forward Party vote, State Sen. Buss outlines priorities

Emily Buss did not plan to run for the Utah State Senate. Her path to the state Capitol began at the local level, where she ran for Eagle Mountain City Council.

 “I ran for city council because I felt unheard and saw firsthand how the unique challenges of my generation were not being represented, even more so at the state level,” Buss said. “Having a seat at the table matters.”

That local campaign laid the groundwork for what would become a historic and unconventional route to the state Legislature. Earlier this month, the Utah Forward Party nominated Buss to fill the vacant State Senate District 11 seat left by State Sen. Daniel Thatcher, following a first-of-its-kind online preference poll open to all registered voters in the district.

Buss won more than 47% of the 1,324 votes cast in a five-candidate race, conducted using approval voting.

The process marked a departure from the delegate-driven replacement votes typically used by Utah’s major political parties.

Instead, Republicans, Democrats, Forward Party members and unaffiliated voters were all eligible to participate. Buss is now awaiting formal appointment and will serve during the upcoming legislative session. To remain in office beyond 2026, she will need to win a traditional election next year.

Buss credits her success to a campaign built without traditional fundraising or political machinery.

“My campaign was completely grassroots,” she said. “No fundraising, just a family pulling plywood from dumpsters to hand paint signs, printing and delivering flyers ourselves, and showing up honestly and consistently, even after the election.”

She said encouragement from family, friends and local leaders ultimately pushed her to consider the Senate seat, particularly given long-standing concerns that communities west of I-15 have been overlooked at the state level.

Looking ahead, Buss said residents of the district can expect an approach rooted in transparency, accountability and collaboration.

“We are in a crisis of distrust and divisive politics,” she said. “I am committed to common sense solutions that put people over party and people over profits.”

Transportation, infrastructure and housing affordability are among her top priorities.

Buss said rapid development has outpaced state funding and left cities constrained by state law.

“I will push to restore local control so cities can responsibly manage growth, require timely infrastructure improvements, and fairly charge impact fees that reflect the real cost development places on our strained infrastructure,” she said.

On housing, Buss said she plans to advocate for policies that protect families and first-time homebuyers, including efforts to limit large investors from buying up single-family homes.

Buss said her experience running for city council shaped how she views the role of state lawmakers.

“Running for city council gave me a new perspective to just how much state level decisions play out on the ground,” she said. “That perspective is critical at the Capitol.”

As she prepares to step into her role at the Capitol, Buss said her focus will remain on staying accessible to the people she represents and grounding her work in the realities of fast-growing communities.