According to Thatcher, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams asked the group, “Can’t the leaders control their people?” The Chronicle could not confirm Adams’s quote. After leaving the party, Thatcher said he joined the Forward Party, an alternative, centrist party focused on protecting constitutional rights. A 2024 report from the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan research firm, reveals that political dysfunction is a top concern among Utah voters. According to the study, more than three in five Utah voters think the state is on the wrong track, which is the largest portion since 2004. As the referendum’s success has paused HB267, Utah voters will have the final say over the collective bargaining ban on their November 2026 ballot.