Utah Republican lawmakers are closing ranks around Rep. Trevor Lee after he shared a social media post warning that past policies that "incentivize foreigners" could threaten Utah's culture. The comments were aimed at Liban Mohamed, a Somali-American Democrat running in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District, whose campaign video leans hard on his Utah upbringing and service-focused values. Critics say Lee's phrasing acted as a racially charged dog whistle that helped fuel a wave of racist replies online.
As first reported by Axios, Lee wrote on X that "this is what happens when past policies to incentivize foreigners and not protect your culture run unchecked" and shared a post that, according to Axios, demeaned Somali people while praising white Mormon settlers. In a statement to Axios, he framed the remarks as concerns about immigration policy and about "prioritizing assimilation into Utah's unique culture," saying they were not meant as a personal attack on any candidate.
GOP Reply-All Chain Backs Lee, Sidesteps Censure
A Salt Lake County constituent emailed all 104 legislators this week calling for Lee to be censured, and, according to KSL, at least four Republican lawmakers hit reply-all to defend him. Sen. Derrin Owens said he needed "concrete evidence" that Lee had crossed a line before backing censure, while Reps. Troy Shelley, Nicholeen Peck, and Sen. John Johnson signaled they would not support any punishment. No lawmaker on the email thread publicly denounced Lee, the KSL review found.
Mohamed's Launch Video Sparks Support And Slurs
Liban Mohamed's Jan. 5 announcement video, in which he says he was born in Utah to Somali immigrant parents and describes a life of community service, quickly went viral and drew both enthusiastic backing and racist attacks, the Utah News Dispatch reported. The state Democratic Party condemned what it called a "flood of racist and religious hate" aimed at Mohamed as he jumped into a crowded Democratic field for the new 1st District.
Culture Talk Taps Into National 'Replacement' Fears
Observers warn that talk about protecting a state's "culture" can echo the debunked white-supremacist "replacement" narrative that has been tied to violent acts across the country, as documented by Time. Local reporting has also tracked a string of provocative posts from Lee, including his 2024 sharing of a video of a Muslim procession and his sponsorship of an anti-pride-flag bill, which critics say heightens division, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
There has been no formal legislative censure so far, and KSL's review of the email chain found no lawmakers who denounced Lee outright. Instead, the exchange has sharpened the debate over where policy talk ends and exclusionary rhetoric begins. Mohamed's campaign says it will keep its focus on housing, child care, and health care while supporters try to counter online abuse. Lawmakers from both parties say they will be watching to see whether the controversy changes voter calculations as the race moves forward.
