S1, E81: Elevate Strategies - Gabi & Jackie
Utah's political landscape is undergoing significant transformation, and at the heart of this shift are Jackie Morgan and Gabi Finlayson, founders of Elevate Strategies. Their journey represents not just personal ambition but a response to a genuine need in Utah politics – creating accessible pathways for everyday people to understand and participate in the democratic process.
Both Jackie and Gabi share surprisingly similar backgrounds. Growing up in Utah's predominantly conservative communities (Alpine and Holiday, respectively), they experienced firsthand what it means to be outsiders in homogeneous environments. Their early exposure to politics came through their politically active mothers who involved them in grassroots campaigning. For Gabby, this meant accompanying her mother door-knocking (which she humorously compared to trick-or-treating); for Jackie, it meant watching her mother create community spaces for like-minded progressives through groups like "Alpine Democrats."
What makes their story particularly compelling is how both women independently felt drawn to political work despite attempting to pursue other career paths. Gabi started college as a vocal performance major before Trump's election in 2016 catalyzed her switch to political science. Jackie studied biology, convinced she would escape the political world, only to find herself repeatedly pulled back into campaign work. Both eventually left Utah to gain broader experience – Gabi working on Pete Buttigieg's campaign in Iowa and later for Biden in New Hampshire, while Jackie moved to New York and eventually worked remotely managing education campaigns across multiple states.
The founding of Elevate Strategies emerged from a recognition of Utah's untapped potential. As Jackie described it, they would frequently lament about the problems in Utah politics, saying "somebody should do something about that," until they realized they needed to be that somebody. Their partnership formed almost spontaneously – after a single two-hour meeting at a Salt Lake City bar called Ruin, Gabi sent Jackie a draft of their company logo. Their chemistry and shared vision were immediate and powerful.
What makes Elevate Strategies unique isn't just their campaign success rate (11 wins out of 15 races in their first year), but their innovative approach to political communication. In early 2023, they recognized a critical gap in Utah's political landscape: no one was consistently explaining legislative activities in accessible language. When the legislative session began, they started creating content explaining bills and proceedings, using simple language and relatable formats on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Within weeks, they had amassed tens of thousands of followers desperate for straightforward political information without partisan spin.
Their content strategy expanded to include a Substack newsletter that now reaches 20,000 subscribers, who eagerly consume deep-dive analyses as lengthy as 14 pages and 5,000 words. This remarkable engagement contradicts conventional wisdom about short attention spans in the digital age and demonstrates the genuine hunger for substantive political content when presented in an accessible way.
Beyond content creation, Elevate established a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support candidates who might not otherwise have the resources to run – working parents, teachers, nurses, and community leaders who understand local needs but lack political networks or personal wealth. Their goal is to break Utah's Republican supermajority and create more balanced representation that reflects the state's changing demographics.
The timing couldn't be better. As Jackie and Gabi outlined, Utah represents a unique opportunity for progressive politics: it's the youngest state in the country, the fastest growing, potentially facing redistricting, maintains universal vote-by-mail (unique among red states), and has seen the largest leftward shift in LDS voters under 35 of any voting bloc nationwide since 2016. While national attention focuses elsewhere, Utah quietly presents one of the most promising environments for political change.
Their story ultimately speaks to something far beyond partisan politics – it's about creating accessible pathways for civic engagement, helping qualified community leaders step into public service, and demystifying the political process for everyday citizens. By consistently showing up with clear explanations and actionable steps, Jackie and Gabi are transforming not just who wins elections in Utah, but how politics itself functions in their community.
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