From Deseret News archives:
Despite spat, RNC offers support
"We will support the Republican nominee in all the races across the nation, including this one," RNC spokesman Yier Shi said Thursday.
Bridgewater sought such a statement from the party. "Based on the potential for misunderstanding from events this week, I asked the RNC to show it will strongly support whomever the nominee is," Bridgewater said.
Since Bridgewater and John Swallow faced off in a primary two years ago, the bad blood between the two has continued to simmer and it boiled over this week, just days before Saturday's state GOP convention.
Earlier this week, the RNC asked Bridgewater to "cease and desist" ads and press releases that it said might mislead people into believing President Bush had endorsed him. Bridgewater pulled the material, but said it was not misleading and merely listed ties he has with Bush without saying the president endorsed him.
Bridgewater blamed the damaging admonishment, coming just before Saturday's State Republican Convention, on opponent Swallow. To support that allegation, Bridgewater said an RNC lawyer told him the party received copies of what it thought was offending material from Bridgewater.
That led to the RNC responding the next day that it never told Bridgewater that the material came from Swallow. Shi would not say from where it came, other than it was "developed internally." Swallow also denied involvement.
Swallow, however, took advantage of the situation to say, "Maybe I shouldn't say this. But whomever the candidate is who comes out of this race has to have the support of the party this time to fight Jim Matheson."
And that led Bridgewater to seek the pledge of support for whomever the nominee is from the RNC. Bridgewater, Swallow and Salt Lake County Councilman David Wilde are seeking the GOP nomination to face Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
The 2nd District race is one of only about three dozen in the nation considered truly competitive. Both parties see winning it as a key to which party will control the closely divided House.
If any of the three GOP candidates wins at least 60 percent of delegate votes at Saturday's convention, they become the nominee. Otherwise, the top two finishers will face off in a primary election.
Two years ago, Bridgewater fell just 50 votes short of eliminating Swallow in the final round of voting and winning the nomination outright. But Swallow rebounded and beat Bridgewater in the GOP primary 52-48 percent. But Swallow lost to Matheson by an even narrower margin — less than one percentage point.
