Utah debate commission announces Wednesday's gubernatorial debate candidates
The Utah debate commission announced on Monday which candidates will participate in its gubernatorial debate on Wednesday.
Incumbent Republican governor Spencer Cox, his Democratic opponent State Rep. Brian King, and Libertarian candidate Robert Latham each qualified for Wednesday's debate.
Write-in candidate state Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding,= who lost to Cox in the Republican primary election by more than 37,500 votes in June, was not listed as a candidate among the possible poll responses because his name will not appear on the general election ballot. But 22 poll respondents specified his name under "other" in the poll conducted between Aug. 29- Sept. 4.
Campaign of Gov. Spencer Cox denies paying to recruit gubernatorial candidates
The campaign of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is rejecting allegations it paid to recruit gubernatorial candidates who share a last name with write-in candidate state Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding. The two write-in candidates also rejected the validity of Lyman's claims.
On Sept. 3, two additional Lymans, Richard and Carol, each filed a declaration of candidacy with the Lieutenant Governor's Office to run for governor as write-in candidates.
Lyman, and his running mate, attorney Natalie Clawson, said the additional write-in candidates sharing Lyman's last name has hurt their campaign because their get-out-the-vote efforts previously advertised "write in Lyman for governor," without mentioning Lyman's first name.
