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📰 Above the fold

Utah taxpayers are likely funding House Speaker Mike Schultz's attack on the judge overseeing the state's gerrymandering lawsuit.

In a slickly-produced social media video posted Sunday, Schultz accuses Third District Judge Dianna Gibson of "judicial activism" and "legislating from the bench" for her ruling that struck down Utah's congressional maps. The video appears to be part of a taxpayer funded PR operation the legislature runs through Schultz's personal social media accounts—blurring the line between official legislative communications and partisan messaging.

“Utahns are right to question why one unelected judge is considering throwing out our congressional maps. And even worse, she’s infringing upon the separation of powers by selecting a new map,” Schultz says in the direct-to-camera video. “That’s the very definition of legislating from the bench, and it’s wrong.”

Schultz leaves out some important context. In August, Gibson ruled Utah lawmakers unconstitutionally repealed Proposition 4, the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative approved by Utah voters in 2018. She also held that the congressional map passed by lawmakers in 2021 was illegal. She is set to choose a new congressional map by Nov. 10.

Schultz also accused “national liberal organizations” of being behind the lawsuit in an attempt to gerrymander the map to help Democrats win one of Utah’s seats in Congress.

The video ends with what amounts to a threat.

“This is judicial activism at its worst, legislating from the bench and overriding the will of the people,” Schultz says. “Utahns deserve judges who interpret the law, not rewrite it.”

These videos have become a signature move from Schultz since he became Speaker. They look like personal social media content—they’re posted to his personal accounts first then amplified through official legislative channels—but taxpayers are footing the bill. Since 2023, the operation has cost $215,000 and counting.

Those videos are produced by Northbound Strategy, a firm headed by Marty Carpenter and Wesley Smith, who are former top staffers from former Governor Gary Herbert’s administration. Carpenter, who served as Herbert’s chief spokesperson and campaign manager, is a former television journalist. Smith was Herbert’s federal liaison in Washington, D.C.

The production tells you everything. Schultz's Sunday video follows the exact Northbound Strategy playbook: direct-to-camera narration, artfully blurred background, generic stock footage cutting between his talking points. The animated Utah House seal at the end is identical to every other video produced by Northbound Strategy.

Northbound Strategy has raked in more than $850,000 from several state agencies since 2023, including the University of Utah, Weber State University and Sandy City.

Despite that significant public investment, details about what taxpayers are getting for their money are scarce. When Utah Political Watch first reported this story earlier this year, Carpenter refused to answer questions about what services his firm was providing for the Republican majority in the Utah House.

The return on investment for Schultz isn’t in views or clicks. These videos usually get only a few hundred views—a cost-per-view that would make any marketing department weep. Instead, the payoff is helping Schultz build his media presence. It’s a pretty sweet deal. He gets the polish of a professional communications team, the reach of official legislative channels, all while building the authenticity of his own social media accounts at taxpayer expense.

Monday morning's headlines

Utah and the West

  • Utah GOP shifts gears after anti-gerrymandering repeal strategy hits constitutional wall. [Utah Political Watch]
  • Utah AG backs Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship. [Utah Political Watch]
  • State leaders create plan to combat housing crisis, public comment now open. [KUTV]
  • Do Utahns want a redistricting redo? [Deseret News]
  • Utah organization advocating for SNAP benefits in Washington D.C. as November deadline approaches. [Fox 13]
  • Ogden's homeless plan: Less affordable housing, more rent-a-cops. [Utah News Dispatch]
  • Police in Alpine investigate racist message programmed onto street sign. [Fox 13]
  • Was Salt Lake City's "No Kings" protest a success? Organizers look back, and look ahead. [Salt Lake Tribune]
  • How Utah became the nation's first swan hunting ground. [Axios Salt Lake City]

Nation

  • U.S. government debt burden on track to overtake Italy's, IMF figures show. [Financial Times]
  • Senate Republicans may use the nuclear option to end the shutdown. [The Hill]
  • Ongoing shutdown sparks flight delay warnings, food stamp pause. [Bloomberg]
  • 6 ways the shutdown is about to get worse. [Politico]
  • Congress enjoys ultra-luxe health care as it fights to gut yours. [Rolling Stone]
  • President Donald Trump says a recent M.R.I. scan was "perfect," and he'd "love" a third term. [New York Times]
  • House Republicans want to strip Zohran Mamdani of citizenship, possibly deport NYC mayoral frontrunner over form omissions. [New York Post]

World

  • Graham predicts Trump's war on "narco-terrorists" will expand to land strikes. [Axios]
  • Putin fears another coup as Russia begins to buckle. [The Telegraph]
  • Hurricane Melissa could be strongest to ever hit Jamaica. [BBC]