Court hearing slated on Republican delegate selection

A Republican is busting his own party for what he believes is a violation of their own rules.

Mike Ridgway will be in court Tuesday asking a judge for a temporary restraining order to stop the Salt Lake County Republican Party from appointing so-called "automatic delegates" to vote at the county and state conventions.

Delegates ultimately decide what names you will see on the ballot in November.

In a filing for injunctive relief filed with the 3rd District Court on Friday, Ridgway wrote, "The Salt Lake County Republican Party consistently violated the prohibitions against appointed delegates from at least as early as 1983."

Ridgway has repeatedly challenged the practice at both state and party conventions.

County GOP leaders insist they are doing nothing wrong.

State party rules leave delegate allocation up to the county parties.

"Any time he doesn't get his way, he tries to disrupt our party process," Salt Lake County Republican Party Chairman James Evans said about Ridgeway. "This time he's filed a frivolous lawsuit."

The county has more than 30 appointed delegates, all of which are elected in some form or another. Most are Republican elected officials, like the county surveyor and GOP legislators. Other appointed delegates include the county party officers and executive committee members.

For that, Evans said that none of these so called "automatic delegates" are given a free ticket to vote as a delegate.

"You run in different ways but you have to go through some kind of contest," Evans said. "So we're all elected."

Ridgway will meet with Judge Glenn Iwasaki in his chambers at 3 p.m. Tuesday, just four hours before Republicans will gather in caucus meetings to select delegates.

"Even though this has been resolved by the governing body of the state party, it's still not good enough for him," Evans said. "He wants to get a judge to rule his will on the party."

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