盐湖城-在周六的共和党全国代表大会上，州众议员菲尔·莱曼被选为犹他州共和党州长候选人，尽管政治观察人士表示，现任州长斯潘塞·考克斯在即将到来的初选中仍然是最有可能的人选。
莱曼是一名前县专员，后来成为议员，他因组织非法的全地形车旅行以抗议联邦土地决定而闻名，他赢得了近4000名代表中约三分之二的选票，这些代表倾向于右翼。
犹他州共和党选民通常更喜欢全州范围内的温和派选举然而，在2021年上任的更温和的考克斯被认为为6月25日的初选做好了准备。尽管没有得到大会的认可，但他已经收集了足够的签名以获得投票资格。如果他在6月份获胜，他将参加11月的大选。
代表们还将在晚些时候投票选举该州最知名的中间派共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼。米特·经常为反对前总统而兴风作浪唐纳德·特朗普和党的其他领导人。
近12名共和党人竞争接替罗姆尼的职位，其中包括一名国会议员、一名特朗普支持的市长、一名前州立法机构领导人以及犹他州任职时间最长的美国参议员的律师儿子。虽然一些人试图与川普和犹他州另一名参议员李政颖等极右翼人物结盟，但其他人则保持距离，以吸引最广泛的选民。
犹他州立大学政治学家詹姆斯·库里说:“这个席位有点像该州政党两大派系之间的引爆点。”“一方面，罗姆尼代表了更温和的一派，不仅在这里，而且在全国范围内都是如此。另一方面，更支持特朗普的一派在犹他州选民中往往不太受欢迎，因为有一个可行的温和选项。”
特朗普在参议院竞选里弗顿市长特伦特·斯塔格斯(Trent Staggs)的最后一刻表示支持。周六上午，他在自己的真实社交平台上写道，斯塔格斯是一位“100% MAGA”的候选人，知道如何创造就业机会，制止通货膨胀，增长经济和保护美墨边境。
特朗普的支持可能会使49岁的斯塔格斯在大会上获得通过，但可能不会转化为投票箱上的成功。历史上，共和党提名对犹他州选民选择谁来代表他们几乎没有影响。
斯塔格斯的支持者埃里克·巴克利是戴维斯县的代表，他庆祝了这一支持，并表示他相信犹他州选民会很好地接受这一支持。巴克利说，他几个月前就已经审查了参议员竞争者，并选择支持斯塔格斯——第一个在罗姆尼宣布他不寻求连任之前就参加竞选的人。
巴克利在谈到他对斯塔格斯的支持时说:“这是他对华盛顿存在的腐败的立场，以及他对温和的共和党人和民主党人在没有任何阻力的情况下推动他们的议程的承诺。”。
甚至一些支持其他顶级竞争者的共和党代表-前州众议院议长·布拉德·威尔逊和美国众议员约翰·柯蒂斯-也表示，他们可能会投票支持斯塔格斯作为党内提名人，因为他只是一名大会候选人，这意味着他没有收集签名来保证他在初选中的地位。
无论周六的结果如何，威尔逊和柯蒂斯都已经收集了足够的签名，有资格参加初选。斯塔格斯和其他只有大会才有的候选人必须在周六赢得至少40%的选票才能晋级。
戴着“让美国再次伟大”帽子参加大会的Cache县代表蒂姆·林赛(Tim Lindsay)表示，尽管他支持特朗普，但这位前总统的支持对他如何投票几乎没有影响。他的选票将投给没有收集签名的“最保守的候选人”。
“这是一个廉价的出路，”林赛说签名收集。“我尊重尊重大会程序的候选人。”
55岁的威尔逊已经支持特朗普的连任竞选，并承诺在国会山成为一名“保守派战士”。他在会议大厅精心设计的博览会展台上展示了一辆拖拉机在一堆标有“拜登议程”的煤渣砖中穿行。
63岁的柯蒂斯被视为两位领先者中较为温和的一位，他被比作罗姆尼，因为他回击了党内的强硬派，特别是在气候变化问题上。预计他会在初选选民中有广泛的吸引力。
戴着“团队手套”棒球帽的戴维斯县代表乔纳森·米勒说，柯蒂斯是他接替退休参议员的人选，因为他已经在国会证明了自己是一个跨党派工作的人。
代表们在考克斯等温和派上台时发出嘘声。“我爱你们，”州长回应说，并补充说，在他之前，许多伟大的领导人也在过去的大会上被嘘，但在投票中获胜。
他在即将到来的初选中的竞争对手莱曼组织了2014年的抗议活动，此前联邦官员禁止机动车辆进入犹他州东南部的一个峡谷，以保护印第安人的悬崖住所、文物和墓葬。莱曼认为，关闭构成了联邦政府的越权行为。
2015年，一名法官判处莱曼10天监禁和3年缓刑，此前陪审团认定他犯有非法使用全地形车和共谋的轻罪。
他在投票前提醒代表们他的简短判决，并承诺如果当选将继续与联邦政府的越权行为作斗争。
Utah GOP nominates Lyman for governor's race; incumbent Cox still seen as favorite
SALT LAKE CITY --State Rep. Phil Lyman was selected as the Utah Republican gubernatorial nominee at the party's convention Saturday, though political observers say incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox remains the likely favorite in the upcoming primary.
Lyman, a former county commissioner turned legislator who is best known for organizing an illegal ATV ride in protest of a federal land decision, won about two-thirds of votes from the nearly 4,000 delegates, who tend to skew to the right.
Utah GOP voters generally prefer moderates in statewideelections, however, so the more moderate Cox, who took office in 2021, is seen as well positioned for the June 25 primary. He has gathered enough signatures to qualify for that ballot despite not getting the nod from the convention, and would advance to the November general election if he wins in June.
Delegates were also set to vote later in the marquee race to succeed U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, the state's best-known centrist Republican, who often made waves for opposing former PresidentDonald Trumpand other leaders of the party.
The pool of nearly a dozen Republicans vying to replace Romney includes a congressman, a Trump-backed mayor, a former state legislative leader and the lawyer son of Utah’s longest-serving U.S. senator. While some have sought to align themselves with farther-right figures such as Trump and Utah's other senator, Mike Lee, others distanced themselves in an effort to appeal to the widest swath of voters.
“This seat gets to be sort of a flashpoint between the two major factions of the party in the state,” Utah State University political scientist James Curry said. “On one hand you have the more moderate faction that Romney really embodied, not just here but nationwide, versus the more pro-Trump faction that often hasn’t been as successful with Utah voters when there’s been a viable moderate option.”
Trump made a last-minute endorsement in the Senate contest for Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, writing Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform that Staggs is a “100% MAGA” candidate who knows how to create jobs, stop inflation, grow the economy and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump's endorsement could carry Staggs, 49, through the convention but may not translate to success at the ballot box. Republican Party nominations historically have had little bearing on who Utah voters choose to represent them.
Staggs supporter Eric Buckley, a Davis County delegate, celebrated the endorsement and said he's confident it will be well received by Utah voters. Buckley said he already had vetted the Senate contenders months before and chosen to back Staggs — the first to enter the race even before Romney announced he wasn't seeking reelection.
“It was his stance on the corruption in D.C. that exists and his promise to stand up against the moderate Republicans and the Democrats pushing through their agenda without any type of resistance,” Buckley said of his support for Staggs.
Even some GOP delegates who support other top contenders — former state House Speaker Brad Wilson and U.S. Rep. John Curtis — said they may vote for Staggs as the party nominee because he is a convention-only candidate, meaning he has not collected signatures to guarantee his spot on the primary ballot.
Both Wilson and Curtis already have collected enough signatures to qualify for the primary regardless of Saturday’s outcome. Staggs and other convention-only candidates must earn at least 40% of votes Saturday to advance.
Tim Lindsay, a Cache County delegate who attended the convention wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, said although he supports Trump, the former president's endorsement will have little impact on how he votes. His vote will go to “the most conservative candidate” who has not collected signatures.
“That's a cheap way out,” Lindsay said of signature gathering. “I respect a candidate who respects the convention process.”
Wilson, 55, has endorsed Trump's reelection bid and promises to be a “conservative fighter” on Capitol Hill. His elaborate expo booth in the convention hall featured a tractor plowing through a pile of cinder blocks labeled the “Biden Agenda.”
Curtis, 63, who is seen as the more moderate of the two frontrunners, has been compared to Romney for pushing back against hardliners in his party, particularly on climate change. He is expected to have broad appeal among primary voters.
Davis County delegate Jonathan Miller, who donned a “Team Mitt” baseball cap, said Curtis is his pick to replace the retiring senator because he already has proven himself in Congress as someone who works across the aisle to get things done.
Delegates booed moderates such as Cox as they took the stage. “I love you guys,” the governor responded, adding that many great leaders before him also were booed at past conventions but won at the polls.
The 2014 protest ride organized by Lyman, his competitor in the upcoming primary, came after federal officials closed a southeast Utah canyon to motorized vehicles to protect Native American cliff dwellings, artifacts and burials. Lyman argued that the closure constituted overreach by the federal government.
A judge in 2015 sentenced Lyman to 10 days in jail and three years of probation after a jury that year found him guilty of misdemeanor illegal use of ATVs and conspiracy.
He reminded delegates of his short sentence just before the vote and pledged to continue fighting federal overreach if elected.
