One month before Utah’s June Primary Election, an experienced and well-respected rural legislator gave me his description of the current Republican Party.  He had just been forced into a costly primary election by a candidate with, as he put it, “no knowledge of how governing happens and no respect for the institutions that make government work.”

“I will beat him in my Primary Election,” he said, “when the normal, rational Republicans cast their ballot instead of the extremists who control the caucus meetings. In fact, this year could be the best demonstration of how the caucus system is a fraud.”

Pretty strong language, but the results statewide gave credence to his views.  By and large, “extremist” candidates who did well at the poorly-attended caucus meetings were drubbed at the polls by more mainstream GOP voters.  It happened to Gov. Gary Herbert and Sen. Mitt Romney in 2016 and 2018 – and it happened again this year.

The cases are numerous:

The well-funded “America First” right-wing candidate Andrew Badger beat Rep. Blake Moore in the caucuses, but easily lost in the Primary. Ditto for fellow-traveler Chris Herrod who received 54% of the caucus convention vote, but less than 30% in the Primary against Rep. John Curtis.

In my own Utah House district, a “Freedom First” candidate outspent a former city representative two-to-one, and yet lost by 22%. 

In a race between moderate conservative Rep. Ray Ward and ultra-conservative Dr. Lyle Mason – a race that many saw as a toss-up – Ward won 60% of the vote. 

In my county commission race, conservative upsets were doused. (In one case, a conservative opponent admitted the current commissioner he was running against had “done a great job!”).

Despite spending some $100,000 of his own money, an ultra-conservative candidate in Weber County lost by 20% to moderate Utah Sen. Ann Millner.

In southern Utah, a candidate who signaled his support for the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was easily beaten with barely 30% of the vote.

In Utah County, a far-right activist who almost beat an incumbent with caucus delegates despite a charge of forcible sexual abuse, got walloped by 40% in the Primary.

In my State School Board race, an ultra-conservative anti-mask candidate outspent her more moderate opponent – and lost by more than 12%.   

One county commissioner bluntly stated that the caucus system has increasingly been “hijacked by the far right.” A similar statement came from long-time Republican strategist Stuart Stevens who explained his view in a New Yorker Magazine piece: As their reliable cadre of white voters shrank, Republicans realized they could either try to attract more minorities or more easily try to motivate white voters by tapping into their racial insecurities. The GOP, he said, “has become the white-grievance party.”

But Republican voters in Utah halted that bandwagon last month, electing more moderate, traditionally conservative men and women.  My rural friend was correct in his prediction. When it comes to what most Utahns believe, the caucus system is indeed broken.  It represents the fringe and the bellicose; it doesn’t represent Utah voters. λ