SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah Republicans are heading toward several competitive June primaries following the state party convention.

Rep. Blake Moore will advance to a Republican primary after falling short of the threshold needed to secure the nomination.

“I have always been a convention-supported candidate, but today I’m asking you to make me the outright winner so that I will go spend the next six months making sure every American knows the difference between common sense and crazy,” Moore said, pointing to tax cuts and endorsements.

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Delegates instead backed challenger Karianne Lisonbee, who won more than 60% of the vote, sending Moore into a primary despite his signature-gathering effort to also secure a place on the ballot.

“There are always going to be results that you don’t anticipate,” Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson said.

In Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, Rep. Celeste Maloy and challenger Phil Lyman also advanced to a June primary after a tightly contested convention vote. Maloy received 51% support, while Lyman received 49%.

Maloy emphasized her legislative experience and accomplishments in office.

“Experience and know-how really matter in this job,” Maloy said. “I’ve been doing the job for just a little more than two years. I’m passing bills that fix problems in Utah.”

“The stakes are high,” Lyman said. “I’m telling you, there is a game that’s being played, and we need to understand that the stakes are very high for our children.”

Axson said the close results are likely to energize voters ahead of the primary.

“I think it will keep people engaged,” Axson said. “We’re going to have a lot of people who are interested, and they’ll be leaning into these races and their preferred candidates.”

The Republican primaries are scheduled for June, when voters across Utah will make the final decision on the party’s nominees.

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It’s a big day in Utah politics! The Utah Republican Party and the Utah Democratic Party are both holding their state conventions! Max Roth is covering the Republicans at Utah Valley University in Orem and Ben Winslow is covering the Democrats at Jordan High School in Sandy. Follow along with FOX 13 News’ live blog of coverage (keep refreshing for updates):

10:13 a.m.

Here’s who is running for what right now:

Russ Slade, FOX 13 News

Russ Slade, FOX 13 News

Russ Slade, FOX 13 News

-Ben Winslow

9:52 a.m.

It’s going to be a big day. Delegates for each of the political parties are choosing their preferred candidates for Congressional races. For the Democrats? The big fight will be hotly contested 1st Congressional District (Ben McAdams vs. Nate Blouin vs. Liban Mohamed vs. Eva Lopez Chavez vs. Michael Farrell vs. Luis Villareal). The Republicans have multiple candidates in that race, too, but more of the interest centers around the newly-formed 2nd Congressional District (Blake Moore vs. Karianne Lisonbee) and the 3rd Congressional District (Celeste Maloy vs. Phil Lyman).

We’ll be updating throughout the day from the conventions, but things won’t really start kicking off until this afternoon.

-Ben Winslow & Max Roth

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Concerns are growing over the safety of artificial intelligence prescribing medications in Utah.

This week, in a letter to the state Department of Commerce, the Utah Medical Licensing Board called for the program’s immediate suspension, citing concerns about medical oversight and whether the technology is being deployed too quickly.

State officials said the effort is about expanding access to care, while the licensing board says patient safety could be at risk.

Some see potential in using AI to make health care faster and more accessible.

MORE | Artificial Intelligence

“I think it definitely has a future, and that future does excite me,” Travis said. “I just think right now we’re not quite there yet.”

This year, the state partnered with Doctronic to pilot an AI system to help renew prescriptions for chronic conditions.

But this week, in a letter to the state Department of Commerce, the Utah Medical Licensing Board said it was only informed after the program was already live.

The Department of Commerce told the station the board was not required to be involved and said licensed medical professionals were consulted before launch. The board has raised concerns that patients could receive outdated or suboptimal care.

State officials said all prescriptions are reviewed by a licensed physician and that there is no autonomous prescribing. They also said the goal is to expand access to care, especially in rural communities and for the uninsured, and that the board will be included in any future expansion.

“I think I’m OK with that,” Julie said. “You might not think you can trust it, but then you can’t trust some of the pharmacy people either as far as getting everything right.”

The letter can be found below:

On January 6, 2026, the State of Utah and Doctronic entered into an agreement to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system to “automate routine, guideline-based prescription renewals” for Utah residents. This system will allow “30-, 60-, or 90-day renewals for medications that have already been prescribed by a licensed provider.” The Utah Medical Licensing Board (Medical Board) was made aware of this agreement only after its implementation, once the system was already live and available for use.

The Medical Board is tasked with protecting the public in the State of Utah. While we support the legislative mandate to explore AI implementation, we also have a stewardship to protect Utah citizens. Collectively, the board has decades of medical experience across a variety of specialties, positioning us to understand the potential consequences of implementing what may seem like an innocuous task of AI-driven prescription refills.

Overseeing prescription refills is a task reserved for properly licensed medical practitioners for critical safety and clinical reasons. Each refill requires reassessment and clinical decision-making to safely adjust doses, monitor for side effects, contraindications, or new drug interactions, and ensure the medication remains effective. Patients who continue refilling medications without assessment may remain on outdated or suboptimal therapy for months or years. There is a reason prescription refills require physician authorization.

Proceeding with this agreement without consulting the Medical Board potentially places Utah citizens at risk and remains a major concern of the board. It is imperative that professionals with medical backgrounds review all proposals prior to implementation to ensure these programs do not compromise patient safety. We must not allow AI or other financial motivations to override this obligation, yet that is precisely what occurred here.

It is the strong recommendation of the Utah Medical Licensing Board that this program be immediately suspended pending further discussion.

We look forward to working with the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy to explore ways to safely implement AI in the practice of medicine.

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