Utah
What to watch for in Utah’s primary elections: How influential is Trump? – Washington Examiner
Voters in Utah will head to the polls this week in primary races that will test former President Donald Trump’s influence in the state.
Trump’s election performance in Utah has been lackluster by typical Republican measures. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump received 45.5% of the vote in a race that included an independent conservative candidate. In 2020, Trump won 58% in Utah. That was an improvement but was still the worst showing in the state by a Republican presidential candidate in a two-way race since Barry Goldwater lost to Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
While Utah Republicans typically embrace the most conservative candidates, the voters sometimes don’t follow party leaders. Winning a Utah nominating convention only means the candidate will appear on the primary ballot — but it doesn’t mean they become the eventual nominee. Here’s what to know about the state’s marquee races and which Republican candidates have been endorsed by the former president.
Who will replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney?
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has been the face of the party’s centrist wing. However, a major question is will Romney’s retirement from the Senate bring a new candidate into Congress in his image or will his vacancy result in a more conservative candidate like Utah’s other senator, Mike Lee (R-UT), a key Trump ally.
Four candidates are competing for the open seat. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), who represents the 3rd Congressional District, is considered the favorite heading into the primary on Tuesday, according to recent polling averages. The Utah congressman is also receiving the most fundraising, pulling in just under $970,000 between April 8 and June 5, according to recent campaign finance disclosures. Curtis is the only candidate who has not endorsed Trump’s reelection bid directly, but he has pledged to support the party’s nominee.
Curtis will face Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, whom Trump endorsed shortly before the Utah GOP convention in April, which selected the mayor as its nominee to replace Romney. While the endorsement carried Staggs through convention with more than two-thirds of delegate votes, that support may not translate to success at the ballot box. Staggs has struggled to gain traction in the polls and to fundraise. Campaign finance disclosures showed Staggs raised $260,000 in the last quarter, significantly less than Curtis.
At the end of an hourlong debate earlier this month, Staggs levied an accusation of insider trading against Curtis, which generated attention. Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson and businessman Jason Walton are also running in the primary. Wilson only raised $27,000 in the last quarter, while Walton raised $36,000. The winner of this race will face Democrat Caroline Gleich, a professional skier.
Utah’s House races
Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) is seeking a third term in the state’s 1st Congressional District and will face political newcomer Paul Miller. Miller, an electrician, won over half of the delegates at the GOP nominating convention in April. The winner of this race will face Democrat Bill Campbell in the November election.
There are interesting dynamics at play in the race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District after Trump endorsed incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) earlier this week, less than two months after Lee endorsed her opponent, Colby Jenkins. Maloy is running for her first real term after winning a primary for a special election to replace Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), her former boss.
“Congresswoman Celeste Maloy is a great advocate for the wonderful people of Utah’s 2nd Congressional District!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. “Celeste is fighting to Secure the Border, Create Jobs, Restore American Energy Independence, Support our Military/Veterans, Defend Religious Liberty, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. Celeste Maloy has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Trump’s endorsement power will be put to the test now that he’s wading into the race after Lee, an outspoken Trump ally, already went all in for Jenkins, a businessman and a military veteran. Lee has toured the state with the former Green Beret and has helped him secure endorsements.
The Utah senator has pointed to Maloy’s vote in favor of the 2024 government funding bill and her vote to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as the reason he endorsed her opponent. Jenkins beat Maloy 57% to 43% in the state GOP convention. However, Maloy still has a major fundraising advantage. The winner will face Democrat Nathaniel Woodward in November.
Trump has not made an endorsement in this race to replace Curtis, but there are five Republicans vying for the nomination to represent Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Park City and the winter resort cities of Provo and Moab.
State Sen. Mike Kennedy faces state Auditor John Dougall, business owner Case Lawrence, Roosevelt Mayor J.R. Bird, and attorney Stewart Peay.
Dougall has been the only candidate in this race willing to criticize the former president and even has a billboard that says, “MAINSTREAM NOT MAGA.” Peay, who has Romney’s endorsement, has attempted to sidestep questions about whether he supports the former president.
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Kennedy has raised the most money in the last quarter, raising under $90,000, with $208,000 cash on hand, according to campaign finance records. Peay raised the second most in the field with $82,000 and $108,000 on hand. Bird reported $27,000, with $148,000 in cash on hand, and Dougall raised $11,000 and has $35,000 in the bank. The winner will face Democrat Glenn J. Wright.
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) is running unopposed in this district. Owens will face Democrat Katrina Fallick-Wang in November.
SANTAQUIN — A mother is accused of leaving her young child in a hot car in 2019, resulting in the toddler’s death.
Amy Kay Bethers, 29, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony.
On Aug. 13, 2019, about 5:45 p.m., Bethers brought her 6-month-old son – identified in court documents only as W.T. – to Mountain View Hospital. An obituary identifies the toddler as Wade Ron Taylor.
The boy’s “jaw was locked tight in the onset of rigor mortis, he was warm to the touch, he had sloughing of the skin on his scalp, face, ear and chest, his skin was discolored and mottled, and (his) eyes were open with dryness over the cornea and fixated pupils,” according to charging documents. The toddler’s body temperature was recorded at 109.8 degrees Fahrenheit and he was pronounced deceased about 6:15 p.m.
Doctors “believed that W.T.’s death was probably related to being in a hot environment for too long,” the charges state.
Bethers told police she was driving with her child to a storage unit in Santaquin “when she noticed W.T. was not as ‘wiggly and chattery’ as usual, so she ‘rolled down the windows some more’ and turned around to go home,” according to the charges.
Bethers told police she noticed he was “getting discolored” and his lips turning purple, “and he started ‘getting stiff’ and drooling,” the charges state.
She told investigators that she had been driving for two to three hours and her vehicle did not have air conditioning. Temperatures that day reached about 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
W.T.’s “immediate cause of death was hyperthermia,” but the manner “‘could not be determined’ because her findings from the autopsy were not consistent with Bether’s accounting of events,” according to the charges.
A doctor later concluded “that under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 25 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 50-70 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 45 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 70-150 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 65 mph, there would be little to no change in W.T.’s temperature during anytime of the day. (The doctor) concluded that under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the sun and both windows were closed, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 40-50 minutes; under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the shade and both windows were closed, there would be no change in W.T.’s temperature,” the charges state.
Court documents do not explain why it took several years to follow up on the charges.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Public Safety is urging people to make sure items are safely secured to vehicles while traveling on Utah roads. Saturday marks the 10th annual National Secure Your Load Day, and DPS is using the occasion to remind motorists that securing cargo isn’t just the law — it saves lives.
So far this year, there have been over 130 debris-related crashes in Utah, which are dangerous for other drivers and troopers who have to retrieve that debris.
“Statewide, on average about 70 times a day, highway patrol gets called to respond to debris in the roadways, so that adds up to over 25,000 times per year that we’re having to respond to get items pulled out of the roadway that people have not secured,” said UHP Lt. Zach Randall.
Unsecured loads are a persistent hazard on Utah’s roads, contributing to more than 700 preventable crashes and traffic disruptions each year. While incidents have dropped 12% over the past five years, DPS said the risk remains high and urges drivers to take “full responsibility for their cargo” before hitting the road.
Over the last five years, 17 fatalities have been caused by debris-related crashes.
Debris hazards can also cause serious injuries or deaths when striking vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians, with DPS noting that such obstacles are often difficult to avoid safely, leading to sudden braking, swerving, and collisions.
Clearing debris can also slow traffic to a crawl. Interstate traffic is often halted entirely so crews can remove dangerous items from the roadway, adding delays and frustration for drivers.
Utah law carries fines between $200-1,000 for unsecured loads, and in severe cases, offenders can face penalties up to a Class A misdemeanor. Officials emphasize that a few minutes spent checking and securing cargo can prevent tragedy — and costly legal consequences.
Randall explained how it is important to use bungee cables, racket straps and rope to secure items to your car.
“We have a blanket that you could wrap over and then a bungee or tie-down strap over top of that,” he said. “So with some loose items like wood, we tied them together so they’re not bouncing around the truck, being able to bounce out. You can use something like a plastic wrap or a cellophane wrap to tie those together so that they’re in one unit.”
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
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Utah
Here’s what Utah football player Lance Holtzclaw told U.S. senators about student-athletes’ pay
If the “Protect College Sports Act” is passed, it would create new rules regarding college athletics.
(Jose Luis Magana | AP) The University of Utah’s Lance Holtzclaw testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
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