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What to expect at the Utah GOP Convention

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What to expect at the Utah GOP Convention


Utah Republican candidates and delegates will convene Saturday at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City to determine who they want on the primary ballot in June.

Utah’s junior Senate seat, the state’s four House seats and numerous statewide offices, including governor and attorney general, are all up for grabs.

State delegates, who represent neighborhood precincts, will have the final say on whether convention-only candidates receive the party’s official nomination. They will also have a chance to signal whether signature-gathering candidates have the support of the party’s base voters.

Delegates tend to be more involved in the party and also more partisan than the general Republican electorate. This year’s delegate cohort is a different crowd from past years. Around two-thirds of them were elected for the first time during Super Tuesday caucus meetings, which were combined with a presidential preference poll that attracted registered Republicans that may have not participated in party proceedings previously.

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Candidates must receive at least 40% of delegate support in the April 27 convention — or have gathered 7,000 or 28,000 certified signatures — to advance to the June 25 primary election.

Here’s a preview of the gubernatorial, congressional and attorney general races. We broke down the Senate convention competition here.

Gubernatorial race

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox faces four Republican challengers in his first reelection test. State Rep. Phil Lyman, former state GOP chair Carson Jorgensen, Bountiful business owner Sylvia Miera-Fisk and Marine Corps artillery officer Scott Robbins have attacked Cox for not being conservative enough for deep-red Utah.

Cox has already qualified for the GOP primary by gathering 28,000 certified signatures. The other three candidates will be making their electoral appeal directly to delegates.

During his first four years, Cox presided over legislation banning abortion, limiting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, banning transgender students in female sports, and signed the largest cumulative tax cut in Utah history. He has also led initiatives on housing affordability and homelessness in the state.

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Lyman, a certified public accountant, has accused Cox of being too quick to compromise on conservative positions and of making Utah a quasi-sanctuary state for migrants who entered the country illegally. Jorgensen, a sixth-generation sheep rancher, has focused his criticism on the growing budget under Cox.

1st Congressional District

Rep. Blake Moore will face two challengers at the GOP convention, Ogden electrician Paul Miller and former Ogden police officer Derek Draper. Moore is the only candidate to have already qualified for the Republican primary by gathering 7,000 certified signatures.

Moore recently secured positions on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. These roles have allowed Moore to lead out on issues of spending reduction, welfare reform and a bipartisan focus on addressing the country’s debt.

Miller’s campaign has centered on improving border security, banning insider trading in Congress and combating “woke policy.” Draper has framed himself as an America First candidate who is a “100% supporter of our President Donald J. Trump.”

2nd Congressional District

Newly elected Rep. Celeste Maloy also faces two convention challengers — Army veteran Colby Jenkins and repeat candidate Ty Jensen — despite having been elected by delegates and primary voters just last summer to fill former Rep. Chris Stewart’s vacant seat. Maloy, Stewart’s former chief legal counsel, has placed her political future in the hands of delegates, choosing not to gather signatures.

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During her six months in office, Maloy has introduced legislation to transfer some federal lands to Utah, supported a warrant amendment to the government’s FISA 702 surveillance authorities and voted against further military aid to Ukraine.

Jenkins has criticized Maloy for caving to “the pressures of Washington, D.C.,” and said he will be a more accountable representative. Jensen said he represents a working-class alternative to a Washington, D.C., insider.

Sen. Mike Lee announced a surprise endorsement of Jenkins Thursday afternoon.

“Too many Republicans in Congress have voted to expand the size, scope, and cost of the federal government, in many cases deferring to congressional GOP leaders bent on advancing the Democrats’ agenda. Now more than ever we need bold conservatives in Congress,” Lee said in a press release.

Maloy, who recently introduced legislation with Lee, responded to Lee’s endorsement with the following statement given to the Deseret News:

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“President Trump called me last week — because that’s what he does when two of his cabinet level advisors endorse someone — and he asked me how I like being in Congress. And I told him, I’ll be honest with you, Mr. President, I like the job, but I’m sick and tired of Republicans losing because we fight each other harder than we fight the Democrats. And he laughed and told me I was right, and said he’s sick of it, too. And this is a prime example of why Republicans keep losing. When we agree on principle, but disagree on tactics. We go out and try to harm each other instead of trying to bring home wins for our constituents.”

3rd Congressional District

With Rep. John Curtis launching a Senate campaign in January, Utah’s 3rd District became an open seat for the first time in seven years. Nine Republicans jumped in the race.

Mike Kennedy is a state Senator. Kennedy, who won among delegates against Sen. Mitt Romney in 2018, has emphasized his conservative voting record and accessibility to voters. He is pursuing a convention-only path to nomination.

Chris Herrod is a former state lawmaker. He previously ran for Congress in the 3rd District in 2017, 2018 and 2022, beating Curtis in convention his first and second attempt. He is again counting on delegates to send him to the primary.

Case Lawrence is the founder of Sky Zone. He has emphasized his ability to successfully emerge from economic crises and “restore the American dream.” He has qualified for the primary election with 7,000 certified signatures.

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JR Bird is the mayor of Roosevelt. He said his experience with small-town government, business and agriculture qualify him to represent the sprawling 3rd District. He has also qualified for the primary through signature-gathering.

John “Frugal” Dougall is the Utah state auditor. Dougall pointed to his track record as evidence he understands fiscal issues and can get the nation’s inflation under control. He gathered signatures to qualify for the primary ballot.

Stewart Peay is a commercial litigator. He said his background in military intelligence makes him the most qualified on issues of foreign policy. Former Utah Rep. Chris Stewart endorsed Peay. He gathered signatures to qualify for the primary.

Kathryn Dahlin is a former Senate staffer. Dahlin said she represents a different kind of politician focused on family and responsible budgeting. She submitted signatures but fell short of the certification threshold.

Zac Wilson is the Utah Young Republicans state chair. He said his background in finance prepared him to address the country’s spending problems. He did not gather signatures and is looking to delegates to move him forward.

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Lucky Bovo is a former National Guardsman. His campaign message is to limit National Guardsmen from being deployed oversees. He did not gather signatures or engage in delegate outreach.

Attorney General race

Derek Brown, Trent Christensen, Frank Mylar and Rachel Terry are squaring off for the attorney general nomination. Brown has chosen to seek the nomination both through the convention process and signature gathering — he has already qualified and will appear on the primary ballot. Christensen, Mylar and Terry are only seeking the nomination through the convention process.

Brown is the former deputy chief of staff for Sen. Mike Lee and the former Utah GOP chairman. He practiced law at Mayer Brown and Sidley Austin LLP and has also served as chief legal counsel to former Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch.

Christensen is the chief of staff and general counsel for OmniTeq. He previously was an associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and served as the executive director of the Senator Orrin G. Hatch Center for Civility and Solutions.

Mylar started his own firm more than 20 years ago and focuses on constitutional and government litigation in state and federal courts as well as civil rights and religious liberty. He also worked for 12 years in the attorney general’s office.

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Terry has been an assistant attorney general and is currently the director of the Utah Division of Risk Management. She served as the deputy director for the Utah League of Cities and Towns and she also worked for the firm Fabian & Clendenin.

For previous coverage of the race, see this article and this one.



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Utah

Semi Driver Fatally Plows Into Utah Cop During Traffic Stop

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Semi Driver Fatally Plows Into Utah Cop During Traffic Stop


A truck driver allegedly killed a police officer during a traffic stop on a Utah highway Sunday by driving his rig into the officer, police said. A Santaquin police officer and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper had stopped the semitrailer around 6:30am after somebody called 911 to report that a person was standing on the back of the rig as it was headed north on Interstate 15. Spanish Fork police said the man began driving off during the stop, then turned the semitrailer around before driving the wrong way on the interstate. The rig crashed into two police cars and the Santaquin officer, who died at the scene, the AP reports. Police identified the truck driver as Michael Aaron Jayne, 41. He was not yet booked into jail and had no attorney on record to comment on his behalf, police said.

Authorities have not released the dead officer’s name. “Our entire department is hurt. And the family of the officer is hurt because of a senseless act by one individual,” Spanish Fork police Lt. Cory Slaymaker said during a news conference. The stop occurred on I-15 in Santaquin, a town of about 14,000 people 65 miles south of Salt Lake City. Authorities allege that Jayne fled on foot and stole vehicles, including a pickup truck. He was arrested later Sunday following a short chase in the Vernal area, some 160 miles east of Santaquin, according to police. Who was riding on the back of the semitrailer and why was still being investigated, Slaymaker said.

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Utah lacrosse team wins ASUN title and earns spot in NCAA Championships

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Utah lacrosse team wins ASUN title and earns spot in NCAA Championships


Utes beat Jacksonville 16-13, will visit Duke on Saturday

Courtesy of Utah Athletics
The University of Utah lacrosse team celebrates after winning the ASUN championship with a 16-13 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Air Force Academy, Colo.

The University of Utah Lacrosse team won the ASUN championship for the second straight season with its 16-13 win over Jacksonville on Sunday at Air Force Academy, Colo., earning an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championships.

Utah will visit No. 2 seed Duke for a first-round NCAA tournament game Saturday at 12:30 p.m. MDT in Durham, N.C. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

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Utah improved to 12-4 overall, tying the school record for single-season wins.

After leading by as many as seven goals early in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville went on a late rally, scoring five unanswered to make it a two-point game with less than four minutes to play. Utah’s defense and goalkeeper Colin Lenskold held the Dolphins at bay for the final minutes of the game, allowing Jared Andreala to sneak Utah’s 16th goal in with just 18 seconds to go to seal the victory.

Sophomore Ryan Stines was named tournament MVP with Joey Boylston, Tyler Bradbury, Nikko DiPonio and Lenskold also earning All-Tournament honors. Utah has scored 15 or more goals in six straight games, wrapping up Sunday’s game with 40 shots that included 27 on goal. Utah also had 34 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers along with 14 faceoff wins.

Stines, the ASUN (Atlantic Sun Conference) Player of the Year, led the Utes with five goals against the Dolphins, giving him 47 goals on the season and his third straight game with two or more.

Bradbury also added four points on three goals and an assist with Andreala contributing a hat trick of his own. Faceoff specialist Tyler Kloeckl led the team in ground balls with eight to go along with his 14 faceoff wins.

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Sophomore DiPonio finished the game with a career-high two assists, four ground balls and three caused turnovers with freshman Mikey Crane adding three caused turnovers as well. In goal, Lenskold finished the game with 16 saves, which ties for the third-most in school history.



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Utah lacrosse punches ticket to NCAA tournament

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Utah lacrosse punches ticket to NCAA tournament


For the second year in a row, Utah has won the ASUN Conference championship and is headed to the NCAA lacrosse tournament.

The Utes defeated Jacksonville 16-13 Sunday to claim the ASUN crown, led by five goals from attacker Ryan Stines and three goals apiece from midfielder Jared Andreala and attacker Tyler Bradbury.

Utah held a 9-6 lead at the end of the second period, then scored four straight goals to begin the third period, including two consecutive from Bradbury, to take a 13-6 lead.

After Jacksonville responded with two goals of its own, Utah extended the lead with scores from Carson Moyer and Andreala, leading 15-8 with 12:35 left in the game.

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Jacksonville came on strong late in the game, scoring five straight to cut Utah’s lead to two with 3:12 remaining, but Andreala iced the win with a goal.

After winning nine in a row, including two games at the ASUN tournament, Utah has momentum heading into the NCAA tournament, which begins on May 11.

The Utes will find out who they will play in the NCAA tournament tonight at 7:30 p.m. MDT.



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