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.

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.

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.

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:

“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.

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.

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.

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.