SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A marathon Utah Republican Party convention finally ended close to midnight—six hours later than planned—and in the end, incumbents were left fighting more than sleep.
State Rep. Phil Lyman soundly beat Gov. Spencer Cox in the GOP delegate vote, 68% to 32%, a margin that would have been enough to knock Cox out of the race altogether, had the governor’s campaign not collected more than 28,000 signatures to ensure his place on the primary ballot.
Lyman, a former San Juan County commissioner turned legislator best known for organizing an illegal ATV ride in 2014 in protest of a federal land decision, won about two-thirds of votes from the nearly 4,000 delegates, who tend to skew to the right.
Utah GOP voters generally prefer moderates in statewide elections, however, so the more moderate Cox, who took office in 2021, is seen as well positioned for the June 25 primary. He has gathered enough signatures to qualify for that ballot despite not getting the nod from the convention, and would go on the general election ballot in November if he wins in June.
Then, late into the night in the U.S. Senate race, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs became the convention nominee with nearly 70% of the vote.
Staggs defeated Congressman Jon Curtis, former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, serial business owner Jason Walton, and attorney Brent Hatch, son of the late Senator Orrin Hatch, among others.
But Curtis, Wilson, and Walton all qualified for the primary with the required number of signatures. So the GOP race for U.S. Senate—now a four-person contest—will also be decided by voters in two months.
"This seat gets to be sort of a flashpoint between the two major factions of the party in the state,” Utah State University political scientist James Curry said. “On one hand you have the more moderate faction that Romney really embodied, not just here but nationwide, versus the more pro-Trump faction that often hasn’t been as successful with Utah voters when there’s been a viable moderate option."
Trump made a last-minute endorsement in the Senate contest for Staggs, writing Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform that Staggs is a “100% MAGA” candidate who knows how to create jobs, stop inflation, grow the economy and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
In Congressional District 1, challenger Paul Miller had about 10% more votes than Rep. Blake Moore, and they will face each other in the primary.
In Congressional District 2, Rep. Celeste Maloy was defeated by Colby Jenkins, a tech executive and former Green Beret, endorsed by Sen. Mike Lee. The margin was not enough to give Jenkins the Republican nomination outright, so he and Maloy also have a primary.
State Sen. Mike Kennedy won at the convention in Congressional District 3, but he will have four other opponents in the June primary — JR Bird, Case Lawrence, Stewart Peay, and John “Frugal” Dougall — who all qualified through the signature path.
Rep. Burgess Owens did not have a Republican challenger in Congressional District 4.
Finally, in the race to replace Sean Reyes as Utah Attorney General, Frank Mylar and Rachel Terry emerged from the convention, though Terry was just a fraction of a point from being eliminated. Mylar, Terry, and Derek Brown—who collected signatures—will all be on the primary ballot.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
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