The Utah Republican Party voted on Saturday to continue its fight against a state election law that the party believes circumvents its caucus and convention system. Giving up “is not an option,” said state party Chairman James Evans. “At the end of the day, the Republican brand is greater than the skirmish of the day.” Evans counseled county chairpersons at Saturday’s State Central Committee meeting to make strategic decisions that will “lift the party” long-term, even though at least one person voiced concern about declining morale in their county due to a lack of support for candidates who went the signature-gathering route provided by SB54. “We have no guarantee they buy into any aspect of our platforms,” said Utah County Republican Party Chairman Craig Frank. “We call them the small r’s, by the way.”
A nominee is no longer vetted by the party, he said, shaking his head at the confusion the new process must cause for some Republican voters. Frank said Utah County Republicans will be marking the campaign signs of candidates approved through the convention process with a branded sticker to let voters know who the party officially supports.
“Why support someone when we have no idea what their platform is?” Frank said. “That makes no sense.”
While much of the meeting was conducted behind closed doors, Evans said the committee decided to continue to fund the legal challenge against SB54, an election law overhaul adopted in 2014. It will move forward with an appeal to the 10th Circuit Court if the price is right, and voting members will readdress that at its next meeting once details of the pending case are gathered.
Full Article: Utah GOP to continue legal fight against SB54 | Deseret News.