The call for Sen. Stuart Adams’ resignation follows The Salt Lake Tribune’s reporting on the top lawmaker’s effort to change a law that helped a teenage relative.
(Jeff Parrott | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jason Preston, a former congressional candidate and conservative political activist, addresses protesters during a rally at the Utah Capitol on Aug. 17, 2025.
Around 100 people gathered on the steps of the Utah Capitol on Sunday to denounce child abuse and call for the resignation of Republican Senate President J. Stuart Adams over his role in passing a law that benefited an 18-year-old relative facing several charges of child rape.
The event organizer, Jason Preston, a former congressional candidate and archconservative podcaster, told the crowd he is launching a petition — initially demanding Adams give up his Senate seat or step down as president of the body — that could grow into a ballot initiative.
“We’re going to get people to sign on and demand accountability,” Preston told the crowd.
Shortly after The Salt Lake Tribune first reported Adams’ involvement in the legislation, a Senate Democrat called for Adams to “do the right thing” and step down.
(Jeff Parrott | The Salt Lake Tribune) Protesters listen to speakers during a rally at the Utah Capitol on Aug. 17, 2025.
In addition to trying to pressure Adams to resign, Preston said the petition will seek the repeal of a provision of SB213 — a 2024 bill that included the change spurred by Adams — and will aim to prevent conflicts of interest in the Legislature.
“No more passing legislation that protects criminals in your family,” he said. “That initiative is going to start today with you here.”
It is unclear if Adams could be removed by a ballot initiative. The Utah Constitution gives the members of the House and Senate the authority to decide the makeup of each body and, if necessary, the removal of members.
Preston said that Utah politicians get their power from the people and “when they’re using the power we gave them to protect perpetrators,” the voters have an obligation to remove them from office.
The protest, which saw people carrying signs with slogans like “Utah save the children repeal SB213,” is some of the first organized backlash to Adams’ role in passing the law lowering the penalty for 18-year-olds in high school who engage in sex with 13-year-olds.
Adams, among the most powerful politicians in the state, has said he has no plans to step down.
(Jeff Parrott | The Salt Lake Tribune) Protesters hold signs during a rally at the Utah Capitol on Aug. 17, 2025.
Adams has said the change to the law was not intended to impact his relative’s case and has called reporting on the matter “fabricated and baseless.”
Adams’ 18-year-old relative was charged in 2023 with child rape and sodomy for sex acts with a 13-year-old junior high school student. Adams told The Salt Lake Tribune last month that he was surprised by the severity of the charges and raised the issue with one of his top deputies, Sen. Kirk Cullimore.
Cullimore told The Tribune that he met with Cara Tangaro, the defense attorney for the 18-year-old, and she helped draft language that Cullimore said he sent to legislative attorneys to be added to a sweeping criminal justice bill he was sponsoring.
The change created a new option for prosecutors in narrow circumstances, specifically in cases that involve 13-year-old victims. The new law would allow prosecutors to file a third-degree felony charge of unlawful sexual activity if the defendant is an 18-year-old high school student. Previously, that teenager could have been charged with a more serious crime, a first-degree felony for child rape.
The bill was passed and signed by Gov. Spencer Cox. It was not made retroactive, but a few months after it took effect, Tangaro and the Davis County prosecutor reached a plea agreement, with Tangaro telling the judge at sentencing that, “We all agree that’s not retroactive, but the government did change their offer based on that [change].”
Under the plea bargain, the 18-year-old would not serve any additional jail time, would serve four years on probation and would not register as a sex offender.
(Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune) Protesters listen to speakers during a rally at the Utah Capitol on Aug. 17, 2025.
The mother of the 13-year-old victim told The Tribune she felt like she had been “punched in the gut” and the 18-year-old defendant got “special treatment,” while no one was considering the impact on her child.
The Tribune generally does not name victims of sexual assaults and is not naming the 13-year-old’s mother to protect the child’s identity. It also is not identifying the 18-year-old, since The Tribune typically does not cover such cases. The mother of the 13-year-old victim agreed to speak on the record about the case.
Democratic Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Millcreek, has said that Adams abused his power and should resign, as has Utah Democratic Party Chairman Brian King, who voted for the bill while he was still in the state House.
In addition, the left-leaning Alliance For A Better Utah held a gathering Wednesday in Adams’ district where organizers say 70 people met to write letters calling for Adams to resign. About 70 more attended a similar event in Salt Lake City, according to organizers.