OREM — Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, lost his seat in the Utah House on Saturday at the Utah County Republican Convention.

Delegates in House District 65 instead nominated newcomer Francis Gibson to represent the GOP on the November ballot.

The other eight GOP incumbents who faced re-election challenges at the convention all won easily.

In addition to being a sitting legislator, Tilton is a principal in Transition Power Development, which wants to build a two-unit nuclear generating plant in Utah. The project has acquired needed water rights.

Gibson eliminated Tilton from the race and ousted him from his seat by narrowly earning a supermajority of more than 60 percent of the vote.

Delegates named Gibson on 70 of 115 ballots for 60.8 percent. If two more delegates had switched and voted for Tilton, the candidates would have been forced to a primary in June.

Instead, Gibson will face Democrat Doug Baxter in November.

The eight other incumbents all earned the GOP nomination in their district with supermajority victories.

The list includes Sen. Curt Bramble, Senate District 16; Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, R-Lehi, House District 56; Rep. Craig Frank, R-Pleasant Grove, House District 57; and Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-0rem, House District 58.

The other four nominees are Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, House District 60; Rep. Keith Grover, R-Provo, House District 61; Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, House District 62; and Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, House District 66.

Two of those incumbents averted a primary race by closer margins than Gibson.

Grover outpolled Lisa Shepherd, 57 votes to 37, giving him 60.6 percent of the vote. Shepherd had another supporter in the building who went to the wrong room and failed to vote. If she had voted, Grover would have won exactly 60 percent, leaving Shepherd a single vote shy of forcing a primary.

She said two other supporters did not make it to the convention.

Daw earned 60.4 percent in his rematch with Linda Housekeeper, who also missed a primary by one vote.

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