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Utah GOP Releases Survey On SB54

travelblog.org
The Utah GOP decided to file a lawsuit against SB54 even before negotiations on the legislation had ended.

In response to uproar over changes to the party’s nomination process, Utah Republican leaders have released a survey among the party’s rank-and-file. In the survey, party members are asked their opinion on proposals ranging from the ongoing federal lawsuit against SB54 to charging candidates a fee to run.

In the written survey, the state GOP claims it was not a part of legislative discussions on SB54. Holly Richardson, an award-winning blogger and contributor to Utah Politico Hub, said that Chairman James Evans was in fact invited to participate.

“As I understand it, the reason he refused to participate was not that he was not asked but because he had planned already at that time to file the [federal] lawsuit,” Richardson said. “He expressed the opinion that if he participated in any way in the draft of a compromise, then he would less able to bring forward the lawsuit. Now, his story seems to be that he was never asked to participate. He was, he chose not to.”    

Richardson criticizes what she said is a desire amongst some GOP members to put candidates through a litmus test. She said that the push to get rid of Republicans who don’t maintain a pure enough ideology is hurting the party’s chances among unaffiliated voters.

“We seem to have this idea that we need to do this litmus test and that somehow that if people choose to get on the ballot by gathering signatures, they’re not true Republicans. I think that’s just baloney,” she said. “The Republican Party is having trouble with women, they’re having trouble with young people, they’re having trouble with minorities. It’s stuff like this that should make everybody realize why we’re having a problem. Not only is it going to hurt the current unaffiliated voters but those ranks are growing as more and more Republicans unaffiliated or distance themselves from the party.”

The state GOP has until September to inform the Lieutenant Governor’s office whether it will take part in the 2016 election cycle.