Four Women Accuse Utah Democratic Congressional Candidate of Sexual Misconduct

Four women have accused Salt Lake City council member and Democratic congressional candidate Eva Lopez Chavez of sexual misconduct and unwanted physical contact. The allegations were first reported by the Salt Lake Tribune and then summarised by LGBTQ Nation . All four women are connected to Utah’s political world.

According to the accusers, the incidents happened in 2019 and 2022. Council member Victoria Petro said Lopez Chavez grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against a pillar at a wedding. State senator Jen Plumb said Lopez Chavez pinned her against a wall and grabbed her buttocks. State representative Hoang Nguyen said that after a campaign event, Lopez Chavez leaned on top of her in a car and demanded a kiss. Campaign worker Maggie Regier said the politician pinned her against a wall at a 2019 Human Rights Campaign event.

The Salt Lake Tribune said it was able to confirm parts of the accounts through people the women had told about the incidents soon afterward. Council chair Alejandro Puy also told the paper that reports about Lopez Chavez’s past behaviour could not be ignored and suggested a repeated pattern rather than a single isolated case.

Lopez Chavez denied all wrongdoing and said she was shocked by the allegations. Her lawyer, Greg Skordas, called the women’s accounts false or misleading, while the candidate said she supported a “fair and independent investigation” and would participate in one. The story emerged two months before the Democratic primary in Utah’s new First District, where Democrats are widely seen as more competitive after redistricting.