Murray • In an unusual move Saturday, Utah Democrats voted to support independent candidate Evan McMullin over Democrat Cale Weston to challenge the Republican primary winner later this year.
At the Democratic Convention in Utah at Cottonwood High School in Murray, McMullin received 782 votes of delegates, about 57%, against 594 votes in Weston, preliminary results show.
This is an unprecedented measure for Democrats in a state with a delegation to the National Congress. Congressional delegates fought over party loyalty or the support of an outsider who supporters say increases the chances of a Republican winning in November. Democrats were motivated by the prospect of ousting Senator Mike Lee, who is running for a third term this year and won the support of about 75 percent of Republican delegates to their congress on Saturday.
Lee still has to defeat candidates Ali Izom and Becky Edwards in his primary election in June to face McMullin in the general election.
“Democrats are putting the country before a party,” McMullin said after the vote. “This is our democracy and, yes, it can sometimes be confusing, as we saw today, but it is certainly much better than the alternative.
Weston said he accepted the outcome of the delegates’ decision and that it sparked an important dialogue.
“Of course, you want to be the candidate who comes out with a unanimous degree of support, but I knew it would always be an important conversation, and I think it was a real conversation with a great team and a lot of supporters who drove from all over the state.” said Weston. “Today was a crossroads and we took a certain path. This is a road that has never been traveled before. “
McMullin is no stranger to Utah voters. The former CIA operative and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ran as an independent during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, garnering 21.5 percent of Utah’s votes. In the months leading up to the convention, he received approval from senior Democrats such as former Utah representative Ben McAdams and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson.
(Briana Skrogins | Special for The Tribune) U.S. Senate nominee Kael Weston speaks at the Utah Democrat Congress at Cottonwood High School in Murray on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Conventional chaos
Following a procedural morning for nominations for state competitions, Wilson offered to ask the party to “join Evan McMullin’s independent coalition to defeat Mike Lee.”
The next two hours in the congress hall were followed by fights, debates and insults between the Democrats.
Several delegates booed Wilson and a shout erupted between the camps, prompting Utah Democratic Convention President Jeff Merchant to say he would not tolerate anyone speaking incorrectly. A delegate from the crowd, Rob Webley, shouted “Shame!” And “No spine!”
“We have to propose a Democrat,” said the Vernal resident.
“I understand that there are many people who have a lot of opinions on this,” Merchant said, asking delegates to share their views in front of the microphone.
After a few short pauses, Wilson amended his proposal to offer delegates an option; either nominate the undisputed Weston, or the party must join McMullin’s independent coalition. The Weston and McMullin campaigns approved the language during the holidays.
Ben Anderson, director of communications for the Utah Democratic Party, said the final results would be released sometime next week, but any changes would be minimal and would not change any results.
Mike Lee is hovering over the Democrats
In his introductory speech, Merchant told the crowded high school that he felt honored to be part of what “today will be both a historic and an exciting day.”
It has been more than half a century since a Democrat was elected U.S. senator to represent Utah. While several congressional booths focused on progressive issues such as women’s reproductive rights and improving air quality, a message stood out: Get Lee out of the office.
(Brianna Skrogins | Special for The Tribune) The Utah Democratic Convention, held at Cottonwood High School in Murray on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
A CNN report released last week quoted Lee as saying to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that the senator had considered requests to cancel the 2020 presidential election in favor of President Donald Trump. This is the latest controversy over Lee, which has angered Democrats in Utah.
Michelle Palmer, the party’s chairman in Morgan County, told The Salt Lake Tribune that Saturday’s vote on McMullin reflected the party’s moderate influence in rural areas.
“They look at it logically,” Palmer told Democrats like Wilson and McAdams. “We all think Kael is a great candidate and a great person. But we are focused on winning over Mike Lee.
“I think Mike Lee really had the opportunity to change the course of history. I think he was wrong, “said Lee Brinton, 64, of Murray, who described himself as moderate. “There is a deep line of hypocrisy in the Republican Party.
Brinton, who said he was not a delegate, handed out home-made pamphlets at Saturday’s congress, explaining why he supported McMullin.
“Now, as the only way to get Mike Lee out, I ask you to support independent candidate Evan McMullin,” the brochure said.
(Brianna Skrogins | Special for The Tribune) Independent US Senator nominee Evan McMullin speaks with delegates during the Utah Democrat convention at Cottonwood High School in Murray on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Utah GOP President Carson Jorgensen told delegates at Saturday’s Republican convention that Democrats support Evan McMullin in the US Senate race.
“They don’t believe enough in their own platform to stand behind their candidate,” Jorgensen said.
He warned the GOP delegates: “I do not think you understand the seriousness of the situation. We have to come forward and vote, otherwise there may be problems. “
Other Democrat victories
A majority of delegates voted in favor of Diane Lewis as chairman of the Utah Democratic Party. She won 61.1% of the vote, compared to almost 39% of her rival Quang Dang, preliminary results show.
In the race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, Nick Mitchell, a scientist, defeated his challenger Steve Hartwick by 67 votes, according to preliminary results.
Democrat Glen Wright, chairman of the Summit County Council, pushed away from his Democratic opponent Archie Williams III, winning 91.2% of the vote for the Democratic nominee in the Utah Congressional 3rd Congress.
Carol Lear High School teacher was elected with 80 percent of the vote in the Democratic Party to run for District 6 of the Utah State School Board of Education.
The undisputed Democrats Darlene MacDonald and Rick Jones are moving forward in Utah’s 4th and 1st Congressional Districts, respectively.
Wayne removed from the ballot
Prior to the congress, Kerry Wayne, a candidate for deputy chairman of the Democratic Party of Utah, was expelled from the ballot after an investigation reportedly found he had participated in disobedience and harassment of other party members.
According to a copy of the disciplinary report received by The Tribune, Wayne called an employee “Crazy Bipolar Psychopath (sic)” in an email. When Wayne was informed of the preliminary outcome of the investigation, the letter said Wayne then referred to Disciplinary Board Chairman Jackie Orton with similar humiliation and attacked the manhood of Merchant, a former Democratic Party chairman.
Wayne denied the allegations on Saturday afternoon, calling the allegations “disappointing” and “alarming.” He added that he had appealed the report.
“This whole thing is basically a political hit,” he said.
(Briana Skrogins | Special for The Tribune) Jeff Merchant at the Democratic Convention in Utah.
Wayne is prohibited from serving as a Democratic delegate, holding or holding a party position, or winning a party nomination for any elected position indefinitely. He is also banned from attending party events.
Although he was removed from the list of candidates on the party’s congress website, his profile of candidates was still active on Saturday.
Tribune political reporter Brian Shot and political editor Jeff Parot contributed to this story.
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