Utah’s once-a-decade redistricting process is barreling to a close with both the legislative and independent redistricting committees are finishing up public meetings around the state.

The independent group already has several map proposals online. They will present their final proposals to lawmakers on November 1.

Chairman Rex Facer says they have to take a number of things into consideration as they draw their maps.

“Part of what was going on in our mind was trying to think about the logistics of being a representative. One of the challenges we have is the rural parts of the state are sparsely populated, so those districts have to be really big, and the logistics of managing that size is really, really difficult,” Facer says.

Given the strength of former President Donald Trump’s hold on the GOP, it’s reasonable to believe the party’s future is leaning harder into the MAGA agenda. But Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan thinks that’s the wrong path.

Duncan says Trump gave his supporters and other Republicans a “short-term sugar high” with his bombastic and combative style. But, that rush also turned off a lot of voters and caused him to lose an election that should have been an easy layup.

“We forgot to remind America of the policies conservatives are really good at. We need to own the economy and the best vision for people’s next job and their career advancement. We forgot to do it,” Duncan says. “We need to own the policy lanes to get back to the kitchen tables and boardrooms across America to start winning elections again.”

Duncan lays out his vision for the future of the GOP in his new book “GOP 2.0. How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America’s Conservative Party.”

Duncan also talks about his experience in the aftermath of the 2020 election as Trump and his allies furiously worked to overturn his loss to Joe Biden. Duncan’s refusal to go along with Trump’s falsehoods about election fraud led to threats of violence against him and his family.

“I was down in my office at the Capitol looking out my window. There were guys with AR-15s and body armor protecting me from potentially other Republicans, not terrorists,” Duncan said. “We had state troopers outside watching us while I was playing catch with my kids.”

Geoff Duncan on Twitter: @GeoffDuncanGA

Rep. Suzanne Harrison, D-Draper, has a unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is she a Utah Legislator, but she also works in a busy operating room as an anesthesiologist.

“As someone who’s been working in our hospitals during this fourth wave, this is a huge problem,” Harrison says. “Our staff is exhausted and we’re having a hard time finding beds for the people that need care.”

She thinks her Republican colleagues in the Legislature have needlessly politicized the public response to the pandemic, which has harmed the state’s effort to respond.

“In some ways, legislative leaders are talking out of both sides of their mouth. On one side they’re saying getting the vaccine is important, but on the other side, they give credibility to anti-vaccine groups by giving them time to present at a legislative hearing. It undermines the work our doctors and nurses are doing to save lives,” Harrison says.

Listen to the full conversation below.

Rep. Suzanne Harrison on Twitter: @VoteSuz