Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) “is set to debate his primary challenger in a face-to-face duel Tuesday on the heals of defeat for the nomination at the state GOP convention, where he was loudly booed by delegates who argued the incumbent is too moderate to continue representing the state,” the AP reports.

“Despite failing to secure his party’s nod, Cox is considered the overwhelming favorite among Republican voters statewide. The convention often favors farther-right candidates and expectedly endorsed challenger Phil Lyman, a former county commissioner turned state legislator.”

Utah lawmaker Phil Lyman (R), who is running for governor, quickly used Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse to boost his gubernatorial campaign by blaming the accident on efforts to make workplaces more diverse, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Said Lyman: “This is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing [sic] and security of citizens.”

In a subsequent post, Lyman added: “DEI=DIE.”

Molly Ball has a good profile of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who does not seem like a typical Republican.

“High energy and bald-headed, Cox is an avid reader whose media diet skews Acela Corridor. Over the course of our interviews, he will name-drop the New York Times columnists Thomas Friedman and Ezra Klein, the political theorist Jonathan Haidt and articles from The Atlantic. His conversation is littered with pop-intellectual buzz phrases: ‘deaths of despair,’ ‘happiness gap,’ ‘empathy crisis,’ ‘trust barometer.’ He’s the kind of politician who quotes George Will in speeches and answers questions with an eager, ‘You want to hear my theory? Because I think a lot about this stuff.’”

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) said he will not be running for governor as a write-in candidate “even with an independent group of staunch supporters striving to keep him in contention following his narrow primary loss,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Said Huntsman: “While we appreciate the continued enthusiasm from supporters throughout the state, especially after a very tight race, we won’t be pursuing any efforts for a write-in campaign.”

Supporters of Jon Huntsman (R) are testing the waters for a potential write-in candidacy for Utah governor by Huntsman after he lose the Republican primary to Spencer Cox (R) earlier this week, UtahPolicy.com reports.

A new UtahPolicy.com/KUTV 2News survey in Utah finds a tight three-way race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, with Spencer Cox (R) leading at 33%, Jon Huntsman at 30% and Greg Hughes at 26%.

A new Salt Lake Tribune/Suffolk poll in Utah shows Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) edging former Gov. Jon Hunstman (R) in the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, 32% to 30%.

Fourteen percent said they’d get behind former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes (R), while 8% went for former Utah Republican Party Chairman Thomas Wright (R). Seventeen percent hadn’t made up their minds.

Meanwhile, Huntsman announced he tested positive for the coronavirus.

A new Utah Policy/KUTV poll in Utah finds Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) leading the GOP gubernatorial primary with 39%, followed by former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) at 32%, Greg Hughes (R) at 23% and Thomas Wright at 6%.

A Utah Policy/KUTV poll find Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) leading the GOP gubernatorial primary at 40%, followed by former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) at 33% and former state House Speaker Greg Hughes (R) at 16%.

All other candidates received 5% or less.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman recently visited Utah where he met with political allies and advisers to discuss a possible run for governor in 2020, Utah Policy reports.