Davis County GOP rages at signature gathering candidates - but even Trevor Lee is doing it
This one's on the house.
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The Davis County Republican Party is hopping mad that so many 2026 hopefuls are using the signature route to the ballot instead of pledging fealty to convention delegates.
Forty-one Republicans have filed for 19 offices. Only 13 are going convention-only; the rest are gathering signatures to make the primary ballot.
⏰ Tick Tock
10 days - Signature deadline for ballot initiative seeking to repeal Prop. 4 (2/15/2026)
29 days - The final day of the 2026 Utah Legislature (3/6/2026)
32 days - First day congressional candidates can file to run for the 2026 election. (3/9/2026)
40 days - Neighborhood caucus night. (3/17/2026)
65 days - Utah Forward Party nominating convention (4/11/2026)
79 days - Utah State Republican and Democratic State Party nominating conventions (4/25/2026)
138 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
271 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
1,006 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)
On Wednesday, party leaders blasted out an email insisting that, under DCRP bylaws, the convention is the only “real” path to the nomination.
“We encourage you to say no to those who are seeking to gather signatures to get on the primary ballot, and instead have a real voice by attending your neighborhood caucus on March 17 at 7:00 p.m.,” the email reads. “Remember, those seeking to gather signatures to place candidates on the primary ballot do not represent the Republican Party.”
There’s just one problem for the DCRP: state law doesn’t care about county bylaws. The Utah GOP chose to be a “Qualified Political Party,” which means if it uses conventions, it must also allow candidates to collect signatures to reach the primary ballot.
In 2012, Sen. Bob Bennett’s re-election bid was derailed when the GOP convention voted to send Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee to a primary, ending Bennett’s career. Lawmakers passed SB54 in 2014, creating a signature path so candidates could still make the primary even if delegates bounced them at convention.
It was a compromise with organizers of a proposed direct-primary initiative that polling suggested would pass if it made the ballot. The signature path threw conventions a lifeline—and party loyalists have been trying to cut it ever since.
Sources tell Utah Political Watch that one particular irritation for DCRP leaders is Rep. Ray Ward, who is skipping convention altogether and only collecting signatures. The move is mostly symbolic; Ward is unopposed for re-election.
Most convention-only candidates in Davis County are chasing county-level seats. Only four legislative candidates are skipping signatures:
- Jennifer Garner, one of three GOP challengers to Senate President Stuart Adams in SD 7.
- Jill Koford, the only Republican in the SD 5 race to replace Sen. Ann Millner.
- Dava Ann Neal, challenging House Speaker Mike Schultz in HD 12.
- John Taylor, one of two Republicans running to replace Rep. Karianne Lisonbee in HD 14.
Even Rep. Trevor Lee—one of the legislature’s most anti-SB54 Republicans—filed to collect signatures this cycle. As a convention-only candidate in 2022, he ended former Rep. Steve Handy’s career by winning the Davis County GOP delegate vote and knocking Handy out. Lee’s mother, Susan, is running for the Davis County Commission this year. She isn’t collecting signatures.
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