Utah gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman counters claims that his running mate is ‘ineligible’

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah Republican gubernatorial nominee Phil Lyman countered claims that his lieutenant governor running mate was ineligible, calling Utah’s Constitutional language “ambiguous.”

Over the weekend, the Utah Republican Party selected Lyman as their nominee for Utah governor. In addition, Utah’s GOP also ratified Lyman’s pick for lieutenant governor, Layne Bangerter — a choice Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross) openly criticized on social media.

Weiler said Lyman “brilliantly picked” a running mate who couldn’t serve under the Utah State Constitution. Weiler pointed to a section of the Constitution that states that a person is ineligible unless they have been a Utah state resident for five years before the election. Weiler claimed Bangerter was a resident of Idaho as recently as 2020, which he said makes him ineligible.

“A key component of leadership is to own your mistakes,” Weiler posted. “I’m calling on Phil Lyman to follow the Utah Constitution and name a running mate who is qualified to serve as Lt. Governor.”

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Lyman countered Weiler’s claims saying Bangerter lived in Utah for over 30 years before briefly going to Idaho. Lyman further said Bangerter has since “come home to Utah” and offered a different interpretation of the Utah State Constitution.

“This ambiguous language is often thought to mean the residency requirement must be immediately preceding the election for a consecutive number of years,” Lyman said. “However, in one of the few cases to scrutinize this language, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled this language to mean any period of the required number of years preceding the election. In other words, the legal interpretation of the term ‘next’ in this context would require any period of five years preceding the 2024 election.”

Lyman and Bangerter will go on to face incumbent Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson in the Republican Primary this June ahead of the November 2024 election. Sen. Todd Weiler will also face a primary race against challenger Ronald Mortensen.

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