Our Story

Elevate Strategies was founded by three Utahns, to show that fighting for what is right is worth it. The goal is straightforward: to help build a bench of talented campaign staff and candidates to bring balance to the state of Utah. The founders of Elevate all have national campaign experience and have found themselves back home in Salt Lake City professionalizing Democratic campaigns, innovating, and bringing tactics to a place that has very seldomly seen local campaigns do more than put up yard signs. Elevate strives to deliver a high quality of work and demonstrate that professionalized campaigns, organizations, and public servants can exist even in places where people least expect it.

We all have two things in common: our love of Utah and intense optimism.

Gabi Finlayson

Gabi has experience working in some of the highest-profile political battlegrounds in the country. She worked on multiple campaigns in Utah, in the U.S. Senate, and in Iowa for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. She ran a statewide campaign in New Hampshire focused on youth engagement for President Biden’s General Election race. She stayed in New England, running two campaigns in Boston: a mayoral race and a state Senate special election. After working in the State House as the youngest Chief of Staff in modern Massachusetts history, Gabi moved back to Utah with the goal of giving candidates and elected officials the elevated management and guidance they deserve.

Jackie Morgan

Jackie is a seasoned political strategist, with years of experience working on political and issue campaigns, public affairs, and legislation. She has worked in Utah politics for over 10 years, helping numerous campaigns, candidates, and causes including as the Deputy Communications Director on the Mike Weinholtz for Governor campaign, Volunteer Director on Better Boundaries, and Campaign Manager or Senior Advisor for more than 25 local candidates. She currently serves as the National Campaigns Director at Stand for Children where she works with nonprofit and advocacy organizations to drive educational equity and racial justice across the country.

Ben Haynes

Ben is a former candidate himself and most recently the Communications Director for the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. He got his start in local politics working on a number of races before spending two years working during the primary for Hillary Clinton in UT, NH, ME, WI, and PA. Ben brings a unique lens to his work by combining his experience in strategic communications with the heart of an organizer. Widely known as the best communications strategist in the state, Ben has earned that title with hundreds of successful media events, near-daily coverage, and excellent relationships with reporters.

Sara Stewart

Sara got her start in politics as an intern on a local race for Salt Lake City Council. Sara joined Elevate in June of 2022 working as an organizer on a race for State Senate. In the Fall of 2022, she worked on 13 campaigns around Salt Lake and Weber County. She spent her childhood living in Europe and moved to Utah for her undergraduate. Sara graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Utah. When she isn’t playing with her dog, cooking, or playing music, Sara can be found watering the copious amount of house plants that she loves dearly, or sometimes doing all four at the same time.

Tatum Smith

Tatum was born and raised in Seattle where she became involved in politics and activism. In 2019 she moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology. Tatum worked her first campaign in Utah in 2020 on a U.S. Senate race and has worked a campaign every year since. She joined Elevate in 2022. Outside of work she enjoys reading books, cooking, and trying new types of tinned fish.