6 file for race to become Utah Republican chairman

Six people have filed to be chairman of the Utah Republican Party.

The filing deadline was 5 p.m. Thursday, and outgoing party chairwoman Enid Greene said candidates were accepted by e-mail, fax and in person until that time.

As reported earlier by the Deseret Morning News, two well-known Republicans filed several days ago: former Salt Lake County Councilman Steve Harmsen and former Utah County party chairman Stan Lockhart.

Thursday they were joined by current GOP national committeewoman Nancy Lord.

The following candidates will appear before the June 9 state convention delegates: Harmsen, Lockhart, Aaron Bludworth, Ronald Levine, Chris Lawrence and Lord.

The vice chairman candidates are: current vice chairman Todd Weiler, Jack Powers, Grant Misbach and Drew Chamberlain.

Secretary: Patty Johnson and Carolyn Jeppsen-Smith.

Current state party treasurer Mike McCawley seeks re-election unopposed.

The party chairmanship race is unusual this year. For some, it has taken on a personal tinge.

Last week, Greene abruptly fired party executive director Jeff Hartley, saying he was spending money too liberally. She also complained that Hartley failed to keep track of state party spending, with the debt of the party doubling between last November, when Greene took over for former chairman Joe Cannon who resigned, and January. The debt was close to $300,000, she said.

Then, against tradition, GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced that he wouldn't back any chairman candidates this year. Historically, the leading GOP officeholder seeking re-election in the next general election hand-picked his chairman candidate, and that candidate would be voted in by state delegates.

Huntsman had agreed to back former gubernatorial candidate Fred Lampropoulos, who wanted to step into the chairmanship in February. That's when the party's central committee was set to meet to pick someone to fill out Cannon's term. (Cannon resigned to become editor of the News.)

But Greene, Cannon's vice chair, decided that she wanted to fill out the term, in part to raise enough money to take the party out of debt. Greene ended up giving the party $50,000 of her family's own money so state party bills could be paid on time.