"(The letter) really buoys me up," she said. "I agree wholeheartedly that there's no way to take my name off the ballot. I can't lie about my physical or mental capacity, and I wouldn't ask a doctor to fib."

"I believe we both agree that whether someone is the Republican nominee or whether a Republican chooses to run unaffiliated, the important thing is that the next mayor of Salt Lake County believes in Republican principles," wrote Cook.

"I'm not telling her what to decide," Cook said in an interview. "Of course, I would love her support if she doesn't run, because I think I'm much more likely to run a government based on Republican principles than the Democratic candidate would."

Democratic mayoral candidate Peter Corroon called Cook's letter "political gamesmanship."

"(Cook is) trying to gain political advantage, trying to capture what he considers to be his legitimate claim for Republican votes," Corroon said Monday. "We're going to approach all the voters . . . we feel our campaign is the one that is . . . nonpartisan."

The investigation into Workman may have swayed public opinion. Last March, she led all challengers by at least 23 percentage points, according to a Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll. As the panel's findings were released last week, a Dan Jones & Associates poll for the newspaper found Corroon led Workman by 36 percent to 23 percent. Cook posted 10 percent. Twenty-six percent of voters said they were undecided.

Cook doesn't think Workman would inappropriately try to become certified as disabled. But, he added, "I understand the brutality of politics."

Salt Lake County Republican Party chairwoman Tiani Coleman said the party is trying to determine the best way to move forward. Workman, she said, is involved in those talks but is not being pressured by the party itself to step aside. The party's central committee has a regularly scheduled meeting Saturday, where members could determine whether to continue to support Workman.

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Contributing: Josh Loftin

E-MAIL: jtcook@desnews.com