Utah Senate Democrats remove Sen. Kathleen Riebe from caucus and call for her resignation

What the caucus did

The Utah Senate Minority Caucus voted Tuesday to remove Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, from the caucus and called on her to resign from the Senate. ^[1][2]

The statement was issued by Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, Minority Whip Karen Kwan, Assistant Whip Jen Plumb, and Sens. Stephanie Pitcher and Nate Blouin, the other five Democrats in the Senate. ^[1]

"Given the severity of these findings and the serious breach of trust they represent, we also call for her immediate resignation as a Utah State Senator," the senators said. ^[1]

The investigation

According to the caucus, the findings of a formal, independent investigation were released Nov. 2 in response to an official complaint alleging workplace discrimination and harassment by Riebe in her role as a senator. ^[1]

The caucus said the investigation "concluded a pattern of conduct towards others that was likely motivated by race, national origin, or ethnicity" and "revealed statements concerning employment decisions involving individuals based on their sexual orientation or other protected characteristics." ^[1]

A summary of the investigation obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune said it was "more likely than not" that Riebe engaged in the alleged conduct, including directing staff to place interns with her office based on the interns' sexual orientation, and that she violated legislative policy. ^[3]

The summary, signed by Senate President Stuart Adams, lists corrective actions: Riebe would not be assigned Senate staff or a legislative intern, would be moved to a new office away from Senate staff and would be required to complete more harassment training, the Tribune reported. ^[3]

None of the reports published Tuesday night included a response from Riebe.

Background

Riebe was first elected to the Senate in 2020 and is not up for reelection until 2028. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2023 special election for the 2nd Congressional District, which she lost to Republican Celeste Maloy, and she briefly ran for the 1st District this year before withdrawing and endorsing Ben McAdams. ^[3]

The last Democratic senator pressed to resign, Sen. Gene Davis, stepped down in 2022 after his caucus stripped his committee assignments, the Tribune reported. ^[3]