In the face of massive negative publicity and two pending felony charges against her, Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman's own political party is increasing the pressure on her to withdraw from her re-election campaign.

During a closed meeting Thursday, several members of the executive committee of the Salt Lake County Republican Party again urged Workman to make way for another Republican candidate — even a write-in candidate, according to several people who were in the meeting or were told what was done there. So far, however, Workman has refused.

She told the Deseret Morning News editorial board Thursday that she might have considered it when the charges were first filed but now is determined to continue.

"You have to remember that the executive committee is the nuttiest of the nuts," Workman campaign adviser Dave Owen said. "She's hearing it from everybody — what she ought to do, what she's doing wrong — (but) I haven't seen that textbook (that shows what to do in this situation). We're in territory that not too many people have been in."

County party chairwoman Tiani Coleman declined comment on Thursday's meeting, which was restricted to committee members. She did concede that party leaders are "concerned."

They'd like to see "a change of some kind," she said. "They don't like the things that are going on right now. What exactly that change is I don't know."

The full county Republican Central Committee will consider the Workman situation Oct. 5 and likely vote on whether they want the mayor to withdraw. If that vote goes against her, observers say, she's almost surely done.

"That's sort of the last straw, when your own party turns against you," Republican political consultant LaVarr Webb said.

If that vote goes against her "and if her (poll) numbers haven't moved, then we'll need to talk with her and say, 'What do you want to do? You still have to live here,' " Owen said.

A recent Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll showed Workman's support at 12 percent. Owen said she would have to poll around 20 percent now to show enough progress to keep going.

If Workman withdrew, the party could replace her on the ballot with another candidate only if she had a doctor certify that she is physically or mentally disabled, which Workman has so far steadfastly refused to do. Democrat Peter Corroon and independent Merrill Cook, in fact, have said they would legally challenge such a certification. That means the only hope for the Republicans would be a write-in candidate.

Possible names being bandied about the party for that candidate include outgoing Gov. Olene Walker, former congresswoman Enid Greene, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, and Molonai Hola, who previously ran for Salt Lake City mayor.