Delegates are filling the Maverik Center for the @UtahGOP convention. Public health orders say gatherings of 50+ must wear masks but it’s very mixed today. @fox13#utpol#Utah
In front of the main stage, there’s like a fog machine. @fox13#utpol#Utah
Right now at the @UtahGOP convention, we're getting a musical number.
The big business today will be choosing a new state party chair, but we'll also hear from elected leaders and delegates may consider a motion to censure @SenatorRomney for his impeachment vote. @fox13#utpol
.@UTGOPChair is back up to "The Final Countdown" (he is hours away from his term ending).
.@UTGOPChair asks the crowd if they want to spend "four hours debating stuff?"
A lot of "no" in the crowd. He basically tells the delegates they're in charge of how long this will last (and trust when I say prior conventions have gone on for HOURS). @fox13#utpol#utgop
...aaaaand it took about a minute before I heard someone shout "point of order."
This is a very quick (and clever) way to avert a fight with some party hardliners and move the convention along. @fox13#utpol#utgop
Once again, a delegate does a "check" by calling the question on the @UtahGOP convention agenda.
This is going to shave HOURS off of today's convention.
"You have just done in 5 minutes what it took us 4 hours to do about 4 years ago," @UTGOPChair
says to cheers. @fox13#utpol
This year, the @UtahGOP convention will use electronic voting (which is faster) but they will NOT use ranked-choice voting like they did last year (which is slower).
.@UTGOPChair says they need to communicate their principles, quotes Reagan and says we need to understand that someone who agrees 80% of the time is their 80% friend/ally, not 20% their enemy.
.@SenMikeLee talking about the Founders and American exceptionalism, and says there's faith "in the people and NOT the government."
Now he pivots to how the Left's agenda is placing "unquestionable trust in government." @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@SenMikeLee criticizes the "For the People Act," says Democrats want to pack the Supreme Court, jokes Joe Biden's political career began in the Taft administration, criticizes getting rid of the Electoral College and DC/Puerto Rico statehood. @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@SenMikeLee says one of his proudest days is when President Trump signed his criminal justice reform bill into law.
He notes he compromised with people like Sen. Booker to get the legislation passed. @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@SenMikeLee calls President Biden "today's expander in chief."
"Where you and I want more freedom, Joe Biden wants us dependent on government," he says.
Sen. Lee criticizes CDC as "all about the control and not much about the disease."
.@RepBlakeMoore is giving what I'd call a very "freshman" congressional speech. A lot of thanks to delegates and people he's met along the campaign trail.
He says military, public lands, county assistance are top priorities. @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@RepBlakeMoore now criticizing national spending and says he is trying to work in a bipartisan fashion to bring it down.
"We don't apologize to the racist Trib or bigots like Bagley," he says, referencing the political cartoon that caused a controversy among the congressional delegation. @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@SeanReyesUT takes the stage to a mix of "woos" and a couple of "boos."
He immediately addresses his work "addressing President Trump's election" and says he got threats for it but "I'm still standing tall." @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@SeanReyesUT discloses there were attempts to take his bar license and impeach him from office.
We're now getting to the speeches by the party chair candidates and the elections (also known as THE MAIN EVENT). @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@StewartPeay is up first, getting an endorsement from Sen. Kennedy (who put Sen. Romney in a primary via the Utah GOP convention a few years back). @fox13#utpol#utgop
.@StewartPeay warns that CO, NV and AZ have turned blue and Utah could be next.
"To remain united, we must listen and hear each other," @StewartPeay says. "Divisiveness and internal strife are far more dangerous to our party than any propaganda pushed by the Left."
.@TinaCannonUtah gets an endorsement from retired Rep. Rob Bishop who calls her a "fearless fighter for Republican principles."
She begins by touting her support of the caucus-convention system. @fox13#utpol#utgop
"Principles matter. Standing on principles matter. And when we do, we win," @TinaCannonUtah says.
"I look better in blue," she quips. "But I am RED because I believe in the values of the Republican party." @fox13#utpol#utgop
Brad Baker, who says he's 22, actually encourages delegates NOT to vote for him (!).
He's talking about some of his ideas for future conventions, including increasing technology. @fox13#utpol#utgop
Delegates are giving Baker polite applause.
He then announces he's withdrawing and endorsing Carson Jorgensen. @fox13#utpol#utgop
Carson Jorgenson is on stage and crying.
"I'd rather be out herding sheep today, I really would!" he says to laughter. "But that's not what we need right now. We are at a crossroads." @fox13#utpol#utgop
Jorgenson makes reference to the @UtahGOP's internal fighting, but says he believes in solutions.
"Across this state it's pretty solid red," he says, pivoting to the pockets of "blue."
We're now on to @UtahGOP Vice Chair speeches. I'm tuning out for a sec, so I can try to get other reports up on @fox13. #utpol#utgop
Final credential count: 2,145 delegates. Voting begins. @fox13#utpol#utgop
GOP delegates are supposed to be voting electronically, but it appears some are having trouble right now. This is the line to the help desk. @fox13#utpol#utgop
A Utah GOP delegate just walked up to us here on the convention floor and said "Gentlemen, despite them trashing journalists today, thank you for what you do."
Now a delegate complains he's never seen the constitution changes they're voting on. @UTGOPChair says they mailed them to all delegates a month ago. @fox13#utpol#utgop
We're in the part of the afternoon when I can see many delegates already starting to drift out of the Maverik Center as delegates debate party constitution bylaw changes. @fox13#utpol#utgop
Here's the part where the delegates are leaving while others are digging in for some good ol' fashioned debate.
A reminder: No food was served at the convention so some delegates are HANGRY. @fox13#utpol#utgop
"Hey, please!" @UTGOPChair says trying to get control of this debate. "Children!"
They're debating bylaws dealing with the @UtahGOP's central committee and what constitutes a quorum. @fox13#utpol#utgop
OK, voting for party leadership positions has CLOSED.
This is the time of day I really feel for delegates from rural Utah who have traveled so far, and now have a really, really long drive home ahead of them. @fox13#utpol#utgop
Delegates must now stand as volunteers do a head count. @fox13#utpol#utgop
It really is hard to tell where we are with this count (I think it's THAT close). They're now counting those still opposed to the motion to censure @SenatorRomney.
JUST IN: @UtahDepOfHealth reporting 410 new cases of #COVID19 in Utah today. 1 new death. 6,281 new people tested. 30 new hospitalizations. 8,124 new 1st-dose vaccinations. 11,422 new people fully vaccinated. @fox13#utpol#Utah
Here's the math on #COVID19 in Utah, per @UtahDepOfHealth...
Cases: 397,733 (410 new)
Tested: 2,563,649 (6,281 new)
Hospitalizations: 16,204 (30 new)
Deaths: 2,203 (1 new)
Vaccinated-1st dose: 1,305,568 (8,124 new)
Vaccinated-Fully: 948,639 (11,422 new) @fox13#utpol#Utah
.@UtahDepOfHealth is reporting the rolling 7-day average for positive #COVID19 tests is 371 per day. The rolling 7-day average person/person positivity rate is 6.6%. @fox13#utpol#Utah
These are the kinds of mobile clinics that @GovCox was talking about in the state's change in approach. @SaltLakeHealth has done a few already.
People who got their shots today tell me it's MUCH easier than trying to make an appt at a mass vaccine site. #utpol#Utah#COVID19
The people I talked to aren't vaccine hesitant. But their work schedules don't make it easy to go get inoculated. These kind of "pop up" clinics put on by @SaltLakeHealth do. @malihehclinic is going to do them 2x a month for their clients. @fox13#utpol#Utah#COVID19
JUST IN: @UtahDepOfHealth reporting 338 new cases of #COVID19 in Utah today. 5 new deaths. 5,603 new people tested. 16 new hospitalizations. 9,422 new 1st-dose vaccinations. 13,059 new people fully vaccinated. @fox13#utpol#Utah
Here's the math on #COVID19 in Utah, per @UtahDepOfHealth...
Cases: 397,323 (338 new)
Tested: 2,557,368 (5,603 new)
Hospitalizations: 16,174 (16 new)
Deaths: 2,202 (5 new)
Vaccinated-1st dose: 1,297,444 (9,422 new)
Vaccinated-Fully: 937,217 (13,059 new) @fox13#utpol#Utah
.@UtahDepOfHealth is reporting the rolling 7-day average for positive #COVID19 tests is 379 per day. The rolling 7-day average person/person positivity rate is 6.6%. @fox13#utpol#Utah
Bobbie Widdison did time for the 1996 murder of her child. She was supposed to be paroled in 2018. Parole board changed its mind, giving her life. Widdison challenged it and as the case reached the Utah Supreme Court?