SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson easily won the Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday evening, according to the Associated Press, though challenger Phil Lyman said he wouldn’t concede and called for an independent audit of the results.
Lyman has been sowing doubt about the eventual results in the lead-up to the election and has frequently spread unfounded claims of election fraud in the 2024 presidential election.
Henderson and Cox dispatched state Rep. Lyman and his running mate Natalie Clawson, who have run an increasingly desperate campaign in recent days after polling showed Cox with a sizable lead.
With about 300,000 votes recorded across the state from 28 counties, Cox leads Lyman with nearly 58% of the vote.
Cox decried Lyman’s attempts to discredit the results of the election and the attacks the state lawmaker lobbied against him in the closing weeks of the campaign.
“Conceding doesn’t mean the votes don’t count, that’s not a thing,” the governor told reporters. “I can tell you, if we had lost by five points I would have called and congratulated him. That’s how we roll. That’s how we do things.”
Cox said he shared words of encouragement with Lyman before their debate earlier this month, and recalled fundraising for Lyman after he was arrested for leading an unsanctioned ATV rally across federally protected lands.
“Look, there’s decency and then there’s whatever this is,” Cox said.
Lyman was asked by reporters following the gubernatorial debate if he would accept the results of the election. He declined to commit to respecting the results and said “win or lose” he would seek independent investigations of the voting system.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee congratulated the governor on social media on the win, which he said “is sure to usher in his second term leading our great state.”
“I’ll look forward to continue work with Governor Cox to help Utah families on issues like housing, natural resources, and lowering the cost of living, and I have no doubt that he will keep our wonderful home the best place to live in America,” Lee continued.
Although Cox holds a commanding lead over Lyman, the early results are likely closer than the governor would have liked. A Deseret News poll of the race early this month showed Cox with 62% compared to Lyman’s 25%. The early vote tallies show Cox’s support in line with the polling, though Lyman has so far outpaced his showings in the polls.
Cox, a popular governor in a conservative state, is the frontrunner for the November general election, where he will face state Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City.
Republican voters also weighed in on statewide primary races for attorney general and state auditory. Both are open races after Auditor John Dougall chose to run for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District seat and Attorney General Sean Reyes said he would not seek another term in office.
Derek Brown appears to be headed toward a win in the GOP primary for attorney general, with 45.77% of the vote compared to 33.11% for Rachel Terry and 21.12% for Frank Mylar.
Tina Cannon, who works in the state auditor’s office, leads Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch in the race for auditor with 57% of the vote, as of 10:30 p.m.
Contributing: Peter Johnston
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