Outspoken Utah Democrat won’t seek re-election

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Outspoken Utah Democrat Jim Dabakis says he won’t run for re-election this year.

The Salt Lake City state senator said in a statement Tuesday he’s stepping down after six years because he believes elected officials should serve and then make way for others.

The 64-year-old Dabakis points to highlights of his tenure, including a law that expanded non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people and his role as a “fierce watchdog” on protections for public lands.

He says his colleagues in the Republican-dominated Senate are wonderful to work with, even though he said many are “dead wrong politically.”

Dabakis previously served as state chair of the Utah Democratic Party, where he was believed to be the first openly gay leader of a political party in the state.

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