State Senator Jim Dabakis Pulls Out of Mayoral Race
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – April 15, 2015 – (Gephardt Daily) Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis, (D – Salt Lake) has pulled out of the Salt Lake City mayor’s race.He officially announced his candidacy over the weekend of April 6 via his blog “The Dabakis Factor.”
Dabakis’ announcement creates a three-way race between current Mayor Ralph Becker, City Councilman Luke Garrott, and previously declared candidate Jackie Biskupski. Biskupski expressed concerns that Dabakis entering the race would create a division between their shared support base and give Becker a third term, so today, Dabakis and Biskupski sat down over coffee and hashed out who would run.
We reached Senator Dabakis on the phone, and he told us they decided there just wasn’t room enough for two progressives, so it was better to focus on one of them. “I said ‘It should be me,’ and she said ‘It should be me,’ so we decided it should be her,” he said.
Jackie Biskupski, who, if elected, would be the 2nd female to become Mayor of Salt Lake, said that she is very excited at the outcome of her meeting with Senator Dabakis today. “The conversation was really good. Jim’s desire to step back, and endorse me was very meaningful. I am very grateful for his gracious leadership and the ability to come together as a consensus to put the people first.”
One of the most liberal members of Utah’s largely conservative state legislature, Dabakis is also well-known as Utah’s only openly gay state Senator. Dabakis previously served as chairman of the Utah Democratic Party from 2012 to 2014 when he stepped down, citing health reasons.
