GOP convention: AG candidates Frank Mylar and Rachel Terry advance to primary election

Four Republican challengers battled for Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes’ seat at the GOP state convention Saturday. State delegates voted to advance Frank Mylar and Rachel Terry to the primary.

It took two rounds of voting to reach that point. Mylar received 59.76% of the vote and Terry received 40.24% in the second round of voting, earning their primary spots. Derek Brown will also appear on the primary ballot because he collected signatures ahead of convention.

During the first round of voting, Mylar (42.83%) and Terry (31.47%) advanced, giving them a second chance to make their case to delegates. Brown and Christensen were eliminated after that first round. Brown received 16.70% of the vote while Christensen received 9%.

Mylar, an attorney who owns his own firm, took the stage as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” blared throughout the speakers. At the firm that he has owned for more than 20 years, he focuses on constitutional and government litigation. He also worked for 12 years in the Utah attorney general’s office.

Mylar emphasized his experience with the conservative legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom and spoke about how he fought for Utahns to receive religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccinations. He also spoke about his background in criminal law and constitutional claims.

One of his applause lines was when Mylar said he would fight for Utahns to have Utah lands. He referenced a brief he filed three weeks ago to fight for Utah lands as evidence of this.

“That’s one huge difference in this race, is that I’ve actually filed constitutional cases for people like you,” Mylar said, adding that he has not charged a dime for his work on many of these cases.

Terry, the current director of the Utah Division of Risk Management, followed Mylar in speaking and said that she would need no training to take on the job. She has worked as an assistant attorney general and the deputy director for the Utah League of Cities and Towns. She pointed out that she was a convention only candidate and licensed to practice law in Utah.

Making her case, Terry said she has worked on “one of the most difficult, complex and significant cases in our state’s history.” She said she would fight against the federal government with respect to lands and energy.

Referencing her endorsement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Terry said she has what it takes to fight for Utah. “I love this work. I love it. I’m good at it. I love you. I love the state of Utah,” she said.

During his remarks, Brown, who served as chief legal counsel to former Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch, and who was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, referenced his endorsement from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who he called the country’s greatest senator.

Lee endorsed Brown early on in the race. At Brown’s booth in the exposition hall before voting took place, Lee said he hoped Brown would become the Beehive State’s next attorney general because he had confidence that he would stand up to federal overreach. The Supreme Court appears likely to overturn a legal doctrine that says federal courts often need to defer to an agency’s interpretation of some statutes, called Chevron deference. Lee said he supports Brown because he thinks he’s the man to challenge federal overreach. “We don’t just need to get a lawyer, we need this lawyer because he brings a really unusual skill set and background.”

Brown said if he was elected, he would focus on the issues that matter to Utahns including land and energy. He said due to the structure of the Supreme Court, Utah is primed to fight federal overreach and he’s the man for the job.

Christensen, chief of staff and general counsel for OmniTeq, spoke first and pitched himself as the America First candidate. He said that if he is elected, he would be “the greatest ally” that former president Donald Trump has ever had.

Making his case, Christensen said he would do an electoral integrity audit on his first day in office if he’s elected. Throughout the course of the election, this has been a point of emphasis for Christensen. He also said that he would work to secure the border.

Previously, Christensen was the executive director of the Senator Orrin G. Hatch Center for Civility and Solutions and was an associate at Ropes & Gray LLP. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, but as of convention, is not licensed to practice law in Utah. In an exclusive statement previously given to the Deseret News, Christensen said he was taking the bar in July.

Brown, will appear on the primary ballot on June 25 along with Mylar and Terry.