A Moderate’s Guide to the June 2024 Utah Republican Primary
Looking for reasonable candidates to represent you? Here's some suggestions.
I’m a very civically-involved moderate Utahn who values many aspects of traditional conservatism: limited government, local control, fiscal responsibility, respect for life, supporting families, and more. Moreover, I want my voice heard in Utah—which means I’m affiliated (and fairly involved with) the Republican Party.
So caveat that this is a primary guide with all Republican candidates. If you are voting as a Democrat, Libertarian, United Utah Party, etc., best wishes to find the best candidates from that party.
About this guide
When looking for who to vote for, I prefer candidates who are:
Qualified for the offices they seek, with relevant experience or expertise.
Builders, not blockers, meaning they’re willing to work with others. People who can accept less-than-perfect solutions that move Utah and America in a good direction.
Principled. Folks who place civic duty above partisanship. People with integrity who value our civic institutions, the rule of law, and checks and balances.
Work horses. People who are more interested in doing the job than engaging in hyperpartisan rhetoric or appearing with pundits on cable news.
Responsive to their constituents.
The following recommendations are for the candidates I believe, through careful vetting, best fit that criteria. It’s okay if those are not your cup of tea—just know that’s what I’m optimizing for here, not talking points or hard-line ideological rhetoric.
At a glance, here are my recommendations:
These are the current candidates who, my current research indicates, would best represent Utah from the Republican Party:
John Curtis for US Senate
Blake Moore for US Representative (CD 1)
Celeste Maloy for US Representative (CD 2)
Stewart Peay for US Representative (CD 3)
Spencer Cox & Deidre Henderson for Governor
Derek Brown for Attorney General (with Rachel Terry a close second)
Ricky Hatch for State Auditor
Emily Lockhart for State Senate 22
Matt Hymas for State School Board 10
You’ll note that these recommendations are mostly the opposite of the Republican Party’s convention nominees.
Unfortunately, I find that delegates at convention seem to prefer whoever can make the most noise about social issues. Let’s be frank: I’m not looking for anti-woke warriors. I’m looking for experienced candidates who’ve shown they can compromise when necessary, play by the rules, and represent all of their constituents.
Recommendations for federal offices
US Senate race
John Curtis is—in my opinion—by far the most experienced, least extreme Republican candidate in this race.
Curtis is clearly competent. He tends to be responsive to constituents. He works across the aisle on issues he deems important, including taking climate science seriously (And as someone who doesn’t want blasted hot summers, bad fire seasons, or the toxic waste buried under the Great Salt Lake in my children’s lungs, I care about this too).
I’ve found that Curtis tends to focus more on real issues—inflation, growth, security defense—rather than trying to legislate far-right ideology. I’ve personally talked with Curtis multiple times at Republican events, and have found him very knowledgeable on issues like the economy, military, and national security.
Curtis isn’t my dream candidate, but for a moderate Republican—or any Republican who values their elected representative working hard on the issues Americans care about—he is leagues better at spending his time creating and passing practical legislation, working for Utahns.
Other candidates links:
Brad Wilson: Longtime Utah state House rep—including, most recently, Utah’s Speaker of the House. His website makes it seem like he’s running on being a “conservative fighter”: cutting regulation and taxes, school choice, secure borders, and a broad pro-gun interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. (Aside: I think America’s Founders would be floored at how big the 2A has become).
Jason Walton: Businessman. Walton’s website reads to me like a litany of extreme-right grievances and alphabet soup: DEI, SEL, ESG, you name it. I’d characterize his 2nd Amendment stances, which he touts, as “pro-school schootings” (he apparently opposes any form of gun control, including background checks or high capacity magazine bans, which have broad support across America). He is a big Mike Lee supporter; I am not.
Trent Staggs: Riverton Mayor. His list of endorsements include not only Trump, but Kari Lake (media mogul turned AZ governor hopeful), Senator Rand Paul, and… drumroll… Matt Gaetz. His website also touts his anti-woke stances (“the cause of this damage is a new religion called wokeness”) and his willingness to take on “the swamp.” I read a lot of populist rhetoric railing against the government but didn’t note a lot of proposals for solutions—except electing him.
US House race
*If you have this race, not all will.
CD 1
Blake Moore. More experienced and committed to principle than his opponent.
CD 2
Stewart Peay. (Note: This is a crowded race to replace John Curtis, so there’s no incumbent). For moderate Republicans and anyone who values a collaborative representative, my strong recommendation is Peay. Military vet who is principled and experienced. He is by far the most moderate candidate in the race. (My second choice would be John “Frugal” Dougall, Utah’s current state auditor, who I do believe has a lot of integrity).
CD 3
Celeste Maloy. Endorsed by her fellow Utah House Representatives, Celeste recently won the special election (against my favorite Utah Republican, at that). I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Celeste, who seems like she understands the issues and is truly trying to put the needs of Utah and America above ideological fights. I like that. This has also pitted her against Mike Lee (who decided to endorse and campaign for her opponent). Would love to see Celeste, one of the first-ever reps from Southern Utah, continue to represent her district.
CD 4
This will not appear on your June primary ballot! Congressional District 4, where I live, doesn’t have anyone challenging incumbent Rep. Burgess Owens
Recommendations for State Offices
Governor & Lieutenant Governor
Spencer Cox and Deidre Henderson. I’ve been a longtime fan of Spencer Cox’s unique version of compassionate conservatism, and very impressed by Henderson’s candor and competence. I admire the Governor for standing up against his own party when conscience calls. (To be honest, as a moderate, I’ve recently been disappointed in Governor Cox’s unwillingness to veto bad bills and his appeals to right-wing Republicans on the border, Trump’s trials, etc. They feel like pandering.)
Even with that, it’s not a close race for me.
Cox & Henderson are, at minimum, truly committed to the rule of law. They have a positive vision for Utah, not just anti-establishment beliefs. I appreciate that they understand and address top issues for Utahns, like housing, mental health, and more. I believe they are truly committed to working for Utahns.
Phil Lyman and Natalie Clawson: Unfortunately, I can’t say the say about their opponents. Lyman, a Utah state rep since 2019, spouts extreme-right ideology/
He’s very pro-Trump. Committed to further defunding public education, doubling down on gas and coal and limiting new cleaner technologies, promoting the 2A, and more. Lyman vows to “protect election integrity” by withdrawing from ERIC (a nonpartisan organization that promotes accurate voters rolls but has lately become a right-wing bogeyman). He seems to be against schools providing their students food and clothing to students in need.
He’s just not my cup of tea, ya know?
Attorney General
Note: after the first draft and a bit more research, I personally decided to vote for Terry—who I think would do a decent job in office if elected. Two okay choices… that’s a plus, at least!
Derek Brown. I probably recommend that you vote for Brown, an experienced lawyer and “big tent” Republican. He’s campaigning on fairly traditional conservative principles: standing up to big government, tech, and pharma; protecting Constitutional rights, and fighting for land and energy. He has solid qualifications and experience.
I’ve heard that Brown conducts himself ethically—which matters a lot to me. However, I don’t love that he worked closely with Senator Mike Lee (who has, in my view, shown himself time and time again to not be ethical.) There are some things about make moderate me a bit nervous about Brown, but I think overall he’s a solid choice.
Rachel Terry. Experienced lawyer. Campaigning to “make the AG office boring again”—needed, since Utah has had a stint of corruption in the past several Attorney Generals’ offices.
This was tough: I met Rachel earlier this year and had a wonderful, long, in-person conversation where I walked away jazzed to support her. She's smart with a lot of relevant experience working for the state. Personally, I like her a lot. I also love that her priorities include transparency and safeguarding children and the elderly—which are important.
However, during her campaign, she boasted about being the first to endorse President Trump. She also campaigned with Texas AG Ken Paxton, who has longstanding charges of fraud and corruption.
Terrt may have been doing this to get through convention—and she barely made it on the ballot with just over 40% of the state convention vote—but I can’t in good conscience vote for someone to uphold the law who supports such corruption. Unfortunately. You may feel differently.
Frank Mylar. Experienced attorney. Frank Mylar was the convention winner, which tends to make me suspicious: essentially, that means he obtained the support of the furthest right folks in the Republican Party. He sees himself as a conservative warrior—shown by his endorsements by far-right stalwarts like Utah Rep Trevor Lee, the Eagle Forum, and Moms for America. I
I noticed that he also campaigned more against his opponents than for values. I didn’t find his policy positions particularly inspiring. There is also an odd police report about Mylar telling then-AG candidate Trent Christensen he’d hold a place for him in the AG office… a bit weird.
State Auditor
The nice thing is—this is probably a race where you can’t go wrong.
Ricky Hatch. I’m voting for Ricky, the current and longtime clerk/auditor for Weber County. We have many mutual friends who speak highly. Along with his experience, he is commitde to integrity and accountability. I know Hatch has worked hard to dispel election disinformation and protect election integrity.
Tina Cannon. Has experience in the auditor’s office, committed to being an independent auditor and against taking campaign contributions that might be an ethical barrier. I like that. (The bold, center-aligned text on her website drives me insane, though I won’t hold that against her!)
Utah County & local races
State Senate 22 — mostly Saratoga Springs, Lehi, a tiny bit of Draper
Emily Lockhart. I’m voting for Emily, who I think is smart, experienced, and more committed than most to traditional conservative principles of limited government . She understands data and her priorities include transparency, a strong economy, education, and transportation—all things I find important. And refreshing, instead of campaigning on social issues.
Current state senator Heidi Balderee was elected in fall 2023 during a special election that took 6 rounds. There were about 120 voting delegates. In the sixth and final round, Balderee received just over 50%: not a rousing endorsement.
In my view, Heidi indeed a nice person, but I have heard her espouse some really concerning far-right rhetoric. (And look: I’ve met, texted, and listened to Heidi half a dozen times in the past few years). I also think Balderee is easily swayed by whatever the majority caucus agenda is and the things delegates (who tend to not be representative) think. I would prefer someone who thinks for herself.
Garrett Cammans: I was initially excited by Camman’s mailer: cooperation? pro-education? Yes! Unfortunately, my friend in his precinct talked about his inflammatory rhetoric at caucus and convention. He is campaigning against housing density (but wants to solve the housing crisis) and for school vouches (but says he supports public ed). I don’t see these being effective or possible.