These Salt Lake and Davis County Republicans will be challenged on Saturday

Salt Lake and Davis counties will host Republican nominating conventions on Saturday.

Utah Republicans are getting their first chance to test controversial State School Board member Natalie Cline this weekend. At Saturday’s Salt Lake County Republican Nominating Convention, GOP delegates will decide whether to send Cline, who fired back on social media at a high school student in the primary, or kick him to the curb.

Salt Lake and Davis County Republicans, representing some of Utah’s most populous suburbs along the Wasatch Front, will battle it out Saturday during each county’s GOP nominating conventions.

In February, Cline insinuated on social media that a female high school athlete was transgender, which led to an attack on the student from Cline’s supporters. Because of the threats, the student was given police protection. Cline later apologized. Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature ignored a request by the girl’s parents to impeach Cline, instead calling for his resignation and eventually passing a toothless resolution of censure.

Cline is running for re-election this year but is being challenged in the GOP nomination by Amanda Bollinger. To move onto the June primary ballot, Cline needs to get at least 40% support from Salt Lake County’s GOP delegates. Bollinger has already qualified for the primary by collecting signatures but could win the party’s outright nomination on Saturday if he can get 60% of delegates’ support.

According to pre-convention campaign disclosures, Bollinger has raised nearly three times as much campaign money as Cline. Bollinger has also committed to large donations from Gov. Spencer Cox ($5,000), Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson ($1,000), Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton ($500), and Senator Mike McKell ($500). House Speaker Mike Schultz has not contributed to Bollinger’s campaign despite calling for Cline to resign.

Parliamentary race

Several Republican incumbents will also face serious challenges from within the party this year, but most of them collected enough signatures to secure a place on the primary ballot. As a result, delegates on Saturday cannot eliminate them from the race, removing much of the drama from the selection contest.

Sen. Wayne Harper is the longest-serving member of Congress, having first been elected to the Utah House in 1996 before moving to the Senate in 2012. If GOP State School Board member Christina Bogguss hopes to end the 28-year tenure of Harper at the Capitol. Hill, must do so in the June primary as Harper, who collected signatures, cannot be eliminated on Saturday.

Sen. Lincoln Fillmore’s re-election bid also may not end early Saturday in the hands of longtime GOP activist Janalee Tobias, as Filmore’s campaign submitted the 2,000 signatures needed to advance the primary. Tobias needs at least 40% of the delegate vote on Saturday to force Fillmore into the primary.

In 2022, political unknown Trevor Lee stunned former Rep. Steve Handy at the Davis County Republican Nominating Convention, ousting the longtime moderate Congressman. This time, Lee faces a challenge for the party’s nomination from former Davis County GOP Chairwoman Daniela Harding, who is already guaranteed a spot in the primary because of signatures.

Lee has to be considered one of the most vulnerable GOP leaders this year. He needed just 53 delegate votes to defeat Handy in the convention and received the lowest percentage of the vote (48.5%) of any congressional candidate to win the 2022 general election. Lee’s campaign received a pre-convention boost last week when he received a rare endorsement from Senator Mike Lee.

County races

A few county-level races could provide intrigue on Saturday.

Republicans Erin Rider and Yianni (John) Ioannou are hoping to become the GOP standard-bearer against Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, a Democrat, in this year’s mayoral race. Neither Republicans collected signatures, so delegates will decide their fate. If one of them gets 60% on Saturday, they will avoid the playoffs.

State Sen. Daniel Thatcher is pursuing the GOP nomination to replace Dave Alvord on the Salt Lake County Council. Thatcher collected the signatures, meaning her challenger, Carlos Moreno, will need at least 40 percent support from delegates on Saturday to force a runoff.

An open seat on the Davis County Commission has drawn many Republican supporters hoping to win the party’s nomination. Nine candidates will lobby delegates for their support on Saturday. Davis County GOP rules require default voting for elections with three or more candidates.