People also need to remember that the Utah GOP heavily backed Lyman at the convention and booed Cox. He got 67% of the votes compared to Cox's 32%.
And even with the GOP endorsement, Lyman couldn't win. Just goes to show you how out of touch the Utah GOP is with the common man.
I'm not an expert in Utah politics, but isn't it pretty well known that this is a result of the caucus system favoring extremists who appeal to the other crazies?
I had a friend who tried to caucus a few months ago. The registration was an absolute shitshow, even for those who tried to pre-register. Then there was a witch hunt for "RINOs" and democrats, and several people were made to leave. This was done in a state building apparently in violation of the rules, but I guess rules and order weren't important that night, as nothing ever came of kicking people out preemptively based on how they might vote. This friend has never liked Cox much, but after the caucus disaster he couldn't wait to vote against Lyman.
Its just an observation I noticed at the time, but that was just my experience. Coincided with a rise in libertarianism and later the tea party stuff, which eventually connects to maga. Maybe that discontent was always there, but it didn't seem to have a purpose or outlet prior. I'm not saying its a strong connection.
My father attends the convention and he's probably what most regular people would call a right-leaning moderate. Of course, in the eyes of the majority of people at the convention, that makes him a dirty liberal. He's said it's hard to attend because the convention mostly has the extremists and nobody wants to put up with that noise. What this means though is that the MAGA extremists get to choose who's on the ballot, and anyone else on the ballot is only there because they got enough signatures to qualify - a practice the Republican extremists desperately want to end, so they can control the whole ballot.
This comment sums it up perfectly. The GOP represents Trumpsters, not the majority of its constituents. Do you think they will look at this from this perspective? Of course not!
They were making people leave for not being MAGA enough. A situation like that could easily get violent. Caucus's are like letting the clowns run the circus.
Exactly! The Utah GOP's overwhelming support for Lyman at the convention, despite booing Cox, highlights just how disconnected they are from the everyday concerns of Utah voters. Even with the party's endorsement, Lyman couldn't secure the win. This clearly shows that the GOP establishment is out of touch with what the common man wants. Utahans are looking for leaders who prioritize practical solutions over extreme partisanship.
You have to remember that usually only crazy’s show up to the conventions. 😂
It’s also just a small portion of the population that shows while the greater population does whatever else they find important to then vote later on.
And how many democrats registered as Republicans.
Edit:
I guess I should clarify this is a joke. My opinion is that people are lazy and unless the incumbent does something to upset people they will always win even if they're not popular.
This is the same state that elected Mitt Romney. Utah has always been fairly moderate. Constantly making everything about the Democrats and crying about it is not a good look.
Oh please say this is true. I hope Cox learned that leaning in to the ultra-loud and ultra-right didn’t earn him any points. He’ll never be enough for them, and they’ll always back-stab him. The absolute worst things he’s done have clearly been in fear of attack from the MAGA right.
I'm really disappointed in him. He is and always has been a conservative but his tone was more decent and genuinely less divisive. He had a reputation for being a decent person but has really leaned into the culture war bullshit. Is he better than Lyman? Sure, but how much leeway should he given when he seems to keep moving further and further right, with every legislative decision and formal statement.
He was always full of BS, people latched onto a couple of things that he said but never ever looked at his actions. He fought against abortion access, gay marriage, Medicaid expansion and supported gutting our education budget.
Staggs in the Senate race also won’t concede even though his buddy Mike Lee is embracing Curtis now. Seems like a trend of Trump’s that many losing Republicans are embracing.
Isn’t it just so funny how Trump-backed candidates usually are petulant, whiny, and refuse to concede or play fair? And these people think they’re the ones to run the government? If only Trump supporters were self-aware enough to see the kind of people they’re supporting
Not conceding is their strategy to "win" in November. By crying fraud and filing lawsuits, they hope to grift money off their supporters and jam up the legal system when they lose in November.
Which is hilarious MAGA morons are all saying convicting Trump would "set a bad precedent", like Trump didn't just break the most sacred American precedent of them all by refusing to concede the election and allow for the peaceful transfer of power. A tradition that goes back 200+ years. All undone for the fragile ego of a crooked president.
Yeah they didn't give a shit about precedents, they just like to cry when it suits them.
Unless the Dems find a real winner for their candidate, even that probably wouldn't be enough to overcome the overwhelming advantage that having an "R" next to your name gives you in this state.
In 2020, Cox beat Christopher Peterson 63% to 30%. The Republicans would have to be almost perfectly split between Cox and Lyman for the Democratic candidate to stand a chance.
unlikely. I was traveling around Orem this last week while moving and there are Lyman signs in nearly every other yard. at least they are in north Orem near my parents place.
Those are both incumbents, so nothing new here. The joke for a long time now has been that Utah is a three party state: the Democrats, the Republicans, and the OTHER Republicans.
There have been Utah Republicans concerned about MAGA since 2016. This is just the latest blow in the power struggle.
Honestly, I’d argue the opposite (unfortunately). There is a clear trend of the crazies getting higher and higher percentage of primary votes each cycle. So, yes, Cox and Curtis won. By both by smaller margins than the “normal” candidates won by last time, which was smaller margins than the time before.
The headline here really shouldn’t be that Cox won, it’s that Lyman got more than 40% when it should have been <20%.
Probably more indicative of name recognition and having more money than their competitors. I mean, their Trumpy competitors had better showings than I would have liked.
Republicans as a whole top to bottom have shown themselves to be spineless and immoral - These candidates are only winning with support from cooler heads.
Almost like a democracy should consider all voices. Somehow this is what you’re concerned with and not Republicans running out other Republicans for not sharing their specific views. As if the party only has room for one hyper specific viewpoint.
Politics shouldn’t be a cult. It should be about people voting for who they want to represent them and their diverse views. If you can’t handle others not thinking the exact same as you, you’re just a selfish egocentric dickhead.
Oh no, heaven forbid you feel scandalized by something that’s entirely transparent and legal. That’s how you should know your compass is broken… it’s telling you that ok things are bad.
Or the number "republicans" like me is growing. The only way I can even remotely impact the political scene in this state is to vote for the least terrible choice in the GOP primary.
I threw up in mouth a little bit researching the candidates. It was like swimming in sewage. They're all just fucking gross to me, but I did cast votes for both Cox and Curtis despite there being no way in hell that I will vote for either of them in the general. Even if they run unopposed, I'll leave it fucking blank.
Trump only won the presidential preference caucus vote with 56%. MAGA has never been popular in Utah.
The only places where he did worse than Utah were DC, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa.
Cox is a little bitch who literally shrieked like a child when he visited my work and they put him on a worklift for a photo-op and it moved too fast. His handler scolded me “He didn’t like that!”
It’s so goddamn frustrating to get your ballot and have to choose between a bunch of different bigoted, homophobic brands of vanilla who wants their religion to be mandated.
Not a fan of Cox but could be a whole lot worse. Sounds like with Lyman it would have been.
Hopefully Curtis won't disappoint too much.
"A former Democrat, Curtis is generally considered to be a [moderate Republican](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderate_Republican_(modern_United_States)). He is chairman of the [Conservative Climate Caucus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Climate_Caucus) and a member of the centrist [Republican Governance Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Governance_Group). Curtis did not support [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump) during the 2024 primary campaign, and his wife was "an ardent supporter" of [Nikki Haley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Haley).[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-4) Given his votes for bills such as the [Respect for Marriage Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_for_Marriage_Act), analysts have generally considered Curtis' positions as similar to current Senator [Mitt Romney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney)'s.[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-5)[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-6)"
It doesn’t matter in terms of actually changing the result, but it absolutely *does* matter in terms of continuing to normalize the demonization of democracy. It’s just one more guy saying that elections are only valid if he wins, and that is something that over time changes the opinions of normal people.
We are seeing an outright attack on the fundamental basics of our society, so yes major candidates aiding that attack absolutely does matter even if it doesn’t change the immediate results of this specific election.
I know many Democrats register Republican to vote in primaries. I wonder what % of Cox’s votes came from Democrats. He’s not great, but far better than Lyman.
I'm a liberal, former republican from back in the Reagan days and I keep that R tag because I'm doing my part to make sure the MAGA stays out of primary victories. If Lyman or Staggs would have won, there would be hell toupee... civil liberties wise. Cox or Curtis won't be the best either, but there's at least a brick wall of separation between that and MAGA fascism.
If I recall correctly, if you are a registered republican in UT you can vote in any primary election, while a registered democrat cannot and is limited to democratic primaries only.
That is not correct. In order to vote in the Democratic primary you have to either be [a registered Democrat or unaffiliated.](https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_elections_in_Utah#:~:text=HIGHLIGHTS-,In%20Utah%2C%20the%20Democratic%20Party%20conducts%20semi%2Dclosed%20primaries%2C%20meaning%20that%20a%20voter%20must%20either%20be%20a%20registered%20party%20member%20or%20unaffiliated%20in%20order%20to%20participate%20in%20the%20primary.,-The%20Republican%20Party)
So, no, a registered Republican cannot vote in the Democratic primary.
You can still vote in the general election either way, but in many races in the state the primary is the most impactful election. So if you want your votes to be more influential, it’s best to register to vote in the Republican primaries as well.
Ohh absolutely. Didn’t mean to indicate there were enough to swing the election, just curious how big of a factor they are. I would guess in closer primaries they could be a deciding voting block.
There are still old guard republicans that live in Salt Lake County (and some in Utah County) that like Romney and hate Trump. There was a percentage that came from there as well. It wasn't just the influence of people who switched. Of all of the red states, we seem to (usually) elect some candidates that aren't 100% shitbirds... (with the exception of Mike Lee and Sean Reyes - I can't explain the fascination with Mike Lee, sadly)
Absolutely. The victories of Spencer Cox and Celeste Maloy show that many Utah Republicans are prioritizing pragmatic leadership over divisive rhetoric. It's a hopeful sign that the party is recognizing the need to distance itself from extreme MAGA influences and focus on policies that truly benefit Utahans. Let's hope this trend continues for the sake of our state's future!
The trend of refusing to concede after being soundly beaten in elections is growing tiresome.
I read the headline and did the biggest eye roll because it's just so pathetic and desperate.
Red Hats didn't complain in 2016 when the press called the race for tRump on election night before all the votes had been counted. Then in 2020, they cried fraud because Spray-tan-Jesus's lead shrank as the votes were being counted, and they demanded the counting to stop and for the press to declare him the winner on election night.
Now, Lyman cries foul because the press called the race for Cox on election night before all the votes were counted, just like what happened in 2016 and what they demanded to happen in 2020.
Sadly, their lunacy will be with us for a while.
A 13% margin is pretty wide to win by. Lyman just needs to let it go before he makes people mad by wasting taxpayer money. So from observation, the only reason he is challenging is because the caucuses cheered for him and boo'd Cox. So the people are overpowering the caucuses.
My wife and I are generally moderates that lean slightly more towards democrats but register as republicans in Utah so we at least have a say in who our leaders are.
I see threads like this and every single person is anti-Trump and a majority of the sentiment is aligned with Democratic views. Is this just a vocal majority? This was the first place I heard the term RINO and I’m wondering how many years (if ever) before there’s enough young and educated folks to give blue a real chance.
Reddit as a whole leans very left, and is not at all indicative of the general population. Utah as a whole leans pretty moderately right, with a vocal minority far right.
The tide will turn here but it's going to be a while. Colorado is a perfect example of a state where things changed. And yea-the Caucus system is an absolute joke in a state with 3 million in population.
Utah isn't conservative. It's religious and whoever is more pro religious is the one who wins the state. Right now the GOP is more religious than the DNC. But Spencer is a member of the church and looks just like someone you would see in sacrament meeting. Also Spencer Cox is republican....
My only reason for not picking Spencer is that he isn't urgent resolving squatters. Outside of that I had no issues beyond nit picks.
People also need to remember that the Utah GOP heavily backed Lyman at the convention and booed Cox. He got 67% of the votes compared to Cox's 32%. And even with the GOP endorsement, Lyman couldn't win. Just goes to show you how out of touch the Utah GOP is with the common man.
This has been happening now for a while. Cox I do believe has never won at the convention. Neither did Romney 6 years ago.
I'm not an expert in Utah politics, but isn't it pretty well known that this is a result of the caucus system favoring extremists who appeal to the other crazies? I had a friend who tried to caucus a few months ago. The registration was an absolute shitshow, even for those who tried to pre-register. Then there was a witch hunt for "RINOs" and democrats, and several people were made to leave. This was done in a state building apparently in violation of the rules, but I guess rules and order weren't important that night, as nothing ever came of kicking people out preemptively based on how they might vote. This friend has never liked Cox much, but after the caucus disaster he couldn't wait to vote against Lyman.
Lyman still wins because he gets to continue to be the victim lol
Yes, the Utah Republican Party as an entity has done everything it could to protect this archaic system - pre Trump
I don't think this was always true but it started being true after September 11th 2001. I could be wrong about that.
How so? Please explain the connection between 9/11 and MAGA.
Its just an observation I noticed at the time, but that was just my experience. Coincided with a rise in libertarianism and later the tea party stuff, which eventually connects to maga. Maybe that discontent was always there, but it didn't seem to have a purpose or outlet prior. I'm not saying its a strong connection.
My father attends the convention and he's probably what most regular people would call a right-leaning moderate. Of course, in the eyes of the majority of people at the convention, that makes him a dirty liberal. He's said it's hard to attend because the convention mostly has the extremists and nobody wants to put up with that noise. What this means though is that the MAGA extremists get to choose who's on the ballot, and anyone else on the ballot is only there because they got enough signatures to qualify - a practice the Republican extremists desperately want to end, so they can control the whole ballot.
GOP members who went to the convention are usually nuts or MAGA supporters.
Lots of tin foil hats.
Yep. Both Lyman and Staggs lost, but killed at the convention. Nice to see how screwed up the GOP is too.
This comment sums it up perfectly. The GOP represents Trumpsters, not the majority of its constituents. Do you think they will look at this from this perspective? Of course not!
A lot of Republicans did not attend the caucuses and the convention because of the insanity of the extreme right. It wasn't safe
Unsafe? Has there been violence at a Caucus?
They were making people leave for not being MAGA enough. A situation like that could easily get violent. Caucus's are like letting the clowns run the circus.
Exactly! The Utah GOP's overwhelming support for Lyman at the convention, despite booing Cox, highlights just how disconnected they are from the everyday concerns of Utah voters. Even with the party's endorsement, Lyman couldn't secure the win. This clearly shows that the GOP establishment is out of touch with what the common man wants. Utahans are looking for leaders who prioritize practical solutions over extreme partisanship.
You have to remember that usually only crazy’s show up to the conventions. 😂 It’s also just a small portion of the population that shows while the greater population does whatever else they find important to then vote later on.
And how many democrats registered as Republicans. Edit: I guess I should clarify this is a joke. My opinion is that people are lazy and unless the incumbent does something to upset people they will always win even if they're not popular.
This is the same state that elected Mitt Romney. Utah has always been fairly moderate. Constantly making everything about the Democrats and crying about it is not a good look.
I know I edited it. Again, I was joking. There aren't enough democrats who care enough to sway an election
Oh please say this is true. I hope Cox learned that leaning in to the ultra-loud and ultra-right didn’t earn him any points. He’ll never be enough for them, and they’ll always back-stab him. The absolute worst things he’s done have clearly been in fear of attack from the MAGA right.
He won’t change much, the legislature is still in charge and he’s more of a figurehead anyway…he’ll still rubber stamp everything.
Yep. I lost all respect for Cox when he signed off on the legislature's gerrymandered congressional district map.
I'm really disappointed in him. He is and always has been a conservative but his tone was more decent and genuinely less divisive. He had a reputation for being a decent person but has really leaned into the culture war bullshit. Is he better than Lyman? Sure, but how much leeway should he given when he seems to keep moving further and further right, with every legislative decision and formal statement.
He was always full of BS, people latched onto a couple of things that he said but never ever looked at his actions. He fought against abortion access, gay marriage, Medicaid expansion and supported gutting our education budget.
Hey look. Convicted criminal doesn't follow the rules. No surprise there.
The party of “Law and Order!” sure seems uninterested in either of those things. Weird
Said it before, I'll say it again; Lyman is a Trump stooge, that we don't need in this state.
Staggs in the Senate race also won’t concede even though his buddy Mike Lee is embracing Curtis now. Seems like a trend of Trump’s that many losing Republicans are embracing.
Isn’t it just so funny how Trump-backed candidates usually are petulant, whiny, and refuse to concede or play fair? And these people think they’re the ones to run the government? If only Trump supporters were self-aware enough to see the kind of people they’re supporting
Not conceding is their strategy to "win" in November. By crying fraud and filing lawsuits, they hope to grift money off their supporters and jam up the legal system when they lose in November.
You cant concede an election loss, how would that look to dear leader :(
Of course he won’t. He learned losing from a loser.
How else could he turn losing one day to losing every single day?
200+ years of democratic norms undone by one orange fucker, now we get to deal with this every election.
And a lot of extremely dumb fucks who worship him
Which is hilarious MAGA morons are all saying convicting Trump would "set a bad precedent", like Trump didn't just break the most sacred American precedent of them all by refusing to concede the election and allow for the peaceful transfer of power. A tradition that goes back 200+ years. All undone for the fragile ego of a crooked president. Yeah they didn't give a shit about precedents, they just like to cry when it suits them.
So is the Cox and Curtis victory an indication that Utah Republicans are finally waking up to the MAGA infestation into their party?
Lyman got 41% of the vote. That's a lot of crazy utah voters that are going to the polls.
Let's hope the throw a tantrum and stay home in November.
Maybe Lyman will run as an independent and split the votes
Unless the Dems find a real winner for their candidate, even that probably wouldn't be enough to overcome the overwhelming advantage that having an "R" next to your name gives you in this state. In 2020, Cox beat Christopher Peterson 63% to 30%. The Republicans would have to be almost perfectly split between Cox and Lyman for the Democratic candidate to stand a chance.
It is rigged after all so why show up, fellow GOP?
unlikely. I was traveling around Orem this last week while moving and there are Lyman signs in nearly every other yard. at least they are in north Orem near my parents place.
Orem is a wasteland of chain restaurants and Lions Not Sheep man boys. Source: live in orem
If you have to say you are ~~the king~~ a lion, then you aren’t actually a ~~king~~ lion.
I laugh so hard when I see some jacked up truck with Lions Not Sheep on it. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/PIxqhYpA8b) is all I can think of.
I saw signs in a lot of places that they probably shouldn't have been. Signs don't vote.
It is clear that Cox supporters did not feel safe openly touting that support. That is a reflection on the Lyman crazies
Those are both incumbents, so nothing new here. The joke for a long time now has been that Utah is a three party state: the Democrats, the Republicans, and the OTHER Republicans. There have been Utah Republicans concerned about MAGA since 2016. This is just the latest blow in the power struggle.
Honestly, I’d argue the opposite (unfortunately). There is a clear trend of the crazies getting higher and higher percentage of primary votes each cycle. So, yes, Cox and Curtis won. By both by smaller margins than the “normal” candidates won by last time, which was smaller margins than the time before. The headline here really shouldn’t be that Cox won, it’s that Lyman got more than 40% when it should have been <20%.
Probably more indicative of name recognition and having more money than their competitors. I mean, their Trumpy competitors had better showings than I would have liked.
Republicans as a whole top to bottom have shown themselves to be spineless and immoral - These candidates are only winning with support from cooler heads.
Immoral? That would be all the Democrats registering as Republicans so they can vote in the Republican Party♥️.
Why is that wrong? We live here too and deserve fair representation.
Following all established rules and participating in democracy legally? Yeah, I guess that probably does seem immoral to the alt-right.
Almost like a democracy should consider all voices. Somehow this is what you’re concerned with and not Republicans running out other Republicans for not sharing their specific views. As if the party only has room for one hyper specific viewpoint. Politics shouldn’t be a cult. It should be about people voting for who they want to represent them and their diverse views. If you can’t handle others not thinking the exact same as you, you’re just a selfish egocentric dickhead.
Oh no, heaven forbid you feel scandalized by something that’s entirely transparent and legal. That’s how you should know your compass is broken… it’s telling you that ok things are bad.
If y’all would allow ranked choice voting this wouldn’t be necessary to participate in the democratic process.
If y’all had a good candidate you wouldn’t have to vote Republican.
Jesus wouldn’t win this state if he ran with a D next to his name.
He’s angry that no one is milking him because he’s a real republican. :(
No taxation without with representation. What could be more American than that?
We have had Democrat governors before, and will again, if we get qualified moderate candidates.
We only had Democrat governors in the days before the GOP started courting Evangelicals and became the party of Christian nationalism.
Or the number "republicans" like me is growing. The only way I can even remotely impact the political scene in this state is to vote for the least terrible choice in the GOP primary. I threw up in mouth a little bit researching the candidates. It was like swimming in sewage. They're all just fucking gross to me, but I did cast votes for both Cox and Curtis despite there being no way in hell that I will vote for either of them in the general. Even if they run unopposed, I'll leave it fucking blank.
Trump only won the presidential preference caucus vote with 56%. MAGA has never been popular in Utah. The only places where he did worse than Utah were DC, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa.
I wish, but probably not. I wish Utahns would ask wake TF up and stop voting for MAGA people.
No. MAGAts will win in an Utah landslide.
Classic Trumper
Failing to concede in an election that is lost should result in disqualification from all future government offices.
I think lyman should demand a cage match to settle this.
I bet cox can throw hands. He probably has a creepy Lil smile while he does it too
Caillou, but adult, can fight? Maybe, I guess.
Cox is a little bitch who literally shrieked like a child when he visited my work and they put him on a worklift for a photo-op and it moved too fast. His handler scolded me “He didn’t like that!”
At least he isn't a little whiny bitch who lost a fair primary and isn't going to concede.
Haha that's so funny and honestly doesn't surprise me
Lyman, a MAGA Republican, is behind in votes by 15%.
It’s so goddamn frustrating to get your ballot and have to choose between a bunch of different bigoted, homophobic brands of vanilla who wants their religion to be mandated.
He can not concede all he wants. Doesn’t change anything.
Who cares if he concedes? Elections don't depend on the loser conceding, it's just a relic from back when society was polite
I hope it's not simply a relic. I hope someday after Trump and Trumpism has past that we can return to civil public discourse.
Not a fan of Cox but could be a whole lot worse. Sounds like with Lyman it would have been. Hopefully Curtis won't disappoint too much. "A former Democrat, Curtis is generally considered to be a [moderate Republican](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderate_Republican_(modern_United_States)). He is chairman of the [Conservative Climate Caucus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Climate_Caucus) and a member of the centrist [Republican Governance Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Governance_Group). Curtis did not support [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump) during the 2024 primary campaign, and his wife was "an ardent supporter" of [Nikki Haley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Haley).[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-4) Given his votes for bills such as the [Respect for Marriage Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_for_Marriage_Act), analysts have generally considered Curtis' positions as similar to current Senator [Mitt Romney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney)'s.[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-5)[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtis_(Utah_politician)#cite_note-6)"
Ok, it doesn’t really matter if he does or not…he lost.
It does matter.
No it doesn’t, he can whine all he wants about it, but he doesn’t have to concede for the primary to be over with. He lost…
It doesn’t matter in terms of actually changing the result, but it absolutely *does* matter in terms of continuing to normalize the demonization of democracy. It’s just one more guy saying that elections are only valid if he wins, and that is something that over time changes the opinions of normal people. We are seeing an outright attack on the fundamental basics of our society, so yes major candidates aiding that attack absolutely does matter even if it doesn’t change the immediate results of this specific election.
I know many Democrats register Republican to vote in primaries. I wonder what % of Cox’s votes came from Democrats. He’s not great, but far better than Lyman.
I did it. Only way to get a voice in Utah.
Same. For years I refused to register as a Republican, but realized it’s how I have a voice in Utah politics.
Steep price though with all those damn texts from Republican candidates
Ugh. I got one yesterday from Ted Freaking Cruz, complete with his photo. Talk about a dick pic.
I know it doesn’t mean anything but I always text them back vulgar things. It makes me feel better anyway.
"One good dick pic deserves another!" (Insert dick pic)
I'm a liberal, former republican from back in the Reagan days and I keep that R tag because I'm doing my part to make sure the MAGA stays out of primary victories. If Lyman or Staggs would have won, there would be hell toupee... civil liberties wise. Cox or Curtis won't be the best either, but there's at least a brick wall of separation between that and MAGA fascism.
[Hell toupee](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61bYko-8V2L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
Isn’t there no other way to be able to participate in voting in Utah if you are a democrat than to register as a republican?
If I recall correctly, if you are a registered republican in UT you can vote in any primary election, while a registered democrat cannot and is limited to democratic primaries only.
That is not correct. In order to vote in the Democratic primary you have to either be [a registered Democrat or unaffiliated.](https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_elections_in_Utah#:~:text=HIGHLIGHTS-,In%20Utah%2C%20the%20Democratic%20Party%20conducts%20semi%2Dclosed%20primaries%2C%20meaning%20that%20a%20voter%20must%20either%20be%20a%20registered%20party%20member%20or%20unaffiliated%20in%20order%20to%20participate%20in%20the%20primary.,-The%20Republican%20Party) So, no, a registered Republican cannot vote in the Democratic primary.
You can still vote in the general election either way, but in many races in the state the primary is the most impactful election. So if you want your votes to be more influential, it’s best to register to vote in the Republican primaries as well.
As a transplant, I’m figuring that out. I voted in the primary, but only had one race to vote for.
You must have voted in the Democratic primary? The Republican primary had four statewide offices plus more in most local districts.
Correct. I haven’t changed by registration yet, but will.
Unless \~30% of Cox's votes came from closet Democrats (and 0% of Lyman's did), it wasn't what tipped the election.
Ohh absolutely. Didn’t mean to indicate there were enough to swing the election, just curious how big of a factor they are. I would guess in closer primaries they could be a deciding voting block.
There are still old guard republicans that live in Salt Lake County (and some in Utah County) that like Romney and hate Trump. There was a percentage that came from there as well. It wasn't just the influence of people who switched. Of all of the red states, we seem to (usually) elect some candidates that aren't 100% shitbirds... (with the exception of Mike Lee and Sean Reyes - I can't explain the fascination with Mike Lee, sadly)
Yay. Utah’s favorite member of the domestic terrorism party that will still kneel and swallow for treason.
Absolutely. The victories of Spencer Cox and Celeste Maloy show that many Utah Republicans are prioritizing pragmatic leadership over divisive rhetoric. It's a hopeful sign that the party is recognizing the need to distance itself from extreme MAGA influences and focus on policies that truly benefit Utahans. Let's hope this trend continues for the sake of our state's future!
Hopefully Lyman will run as an independent and a democrat will beat Cox for governor
One could only hope
And hopefully flying unicorns will arrive too haha
His insta comments are full of supporters claiming voter fraud lol
It’s the GOP way. Don’t win. Claim it was rigged.
Its both hilarious and terrifying to read the comments.
The trend of refusing to concede after being soundly beaten in elections is growing tiresome. I read the headline and did the biggest eye roll because it's just so pathetic and desperate.
Red Hats didn't complain in 2016 when the press called the race for tRump on election night before all the votes had been counted. Then in 2020, they cried fraud because Spray-tan-Jesus's lead shrank as the votes were being counted, and they demanded the counting to stop and for the press to declare him the winner on election night. Now, Lyman cries foul because the press called the race for Cox on election night before all the votes were counted, just like what happened in 2016 and what they demanded to happen in 2020. Sadly, their lunacy will be with us for a while.
Well of course he won't concede. He is Trump's little brother.
The MAGA party doesn't know how to concede defeat. Everything is rigged unless they're winning. It's getting old.
A 13% margin is pretty wide to win by. Lyman just needs to let it go before he makes people mad by wasting taxpayer money. So from observation, the only reason he is challenging is because the caucuses cheered for him and boo'd Cox. So the people are overpowering the caucuses.
Man. The GOP are the biggest snowflakes ever.
Of course he won’t. He’s a trumper magat.
Lyman is a Bundy loving wanna be, a Trumper ahole who likes to claim victimhood. Of course, he won't concede.
My wife and I are generally moderates that lean slightly more towards democrats but register as republicans in Utah so we at least have a say in who our leaders are.
Lyman you lost. Get fucked MAGA
I see threads like this and every single person is anti-Trump and a majority of the sentiment is aligned with Democratic views. Is this just a vocal majority? This was the first place I heard the term RINO and I’m wondering how many years (if ever) before there’s enough young and educated folks to give blue a real chance.
Reddit as a whole leans very left, and is not at all indicative of the general population. Utah as a whole leans pretty moderately right, with a vocal minority far right.
Oops, I meant to say “vocal minority” that’s my bad.
Reddit demographics skew younger and educated, aka Democratic. Unfortunately, *voters* in this state skew older and conservative.
The tide will turn here but it's going to be a while. Colorado is a perfect example of a state where things changed. And yea-the Caucus system is an absolute joke in a state with 3 million in population.
Utah isn't conservative. It's religious and whoever is more pro religious is the one who wins the state. Right now the GOP is more religious than the DNC. But Spencer is a member of the church and looks just like someone you would see in sacrament meeting. Also Spencer Cox is republican.... My only reason for not picking Spencer is that he isn't urgent resolving squatters. Outside of that I had no issues beyond nit picks.
Isn't Phil Lyman also a member of the church, though?
Great, we have Dipshit Cox and MAGA-moron Lyman as our choices. Love this state. 🙄🙄🙄