SANDY — The Utah GOP has a new chairman, Rob Anderson, who wants to end the party's years-long legal battle with the state over a controversial election law allowing candidates to bypass the delegate-controlled nominating process.

Anderson was elected Saturday by delegates over the state GOP's two-term chairman, James Evans, and vice chairman, Phill Wright, during the annual Utah Republican Party convention held at the South Towne Expo Center.

"We've lost our way," Anderson, an airline pilot who just finished a term as Davis County Republican Party chairman, said, calling for an audit of party finances because of $400,000 in debts run up as a result of the court fight over the law known as SB54.

Anderson said in an interview after his win he will advise the party's governing State Central Committee to drop the case pending before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, signaling a new and more moderate direction for Utah Republicans.

"I would like to see them drop the lawsuit because I think we're throwing money away," he said. "Any more debt being accrued is money I'm going to have to raise specifically for that, and it's going to be difficult."

The former F-15 fighter pilot labeled himself "kind of a moderate" and said he hopes to shift the party toward more mainstream Republican views, citing a need for delegates to better align with GOP voters.

He said he believes his victory means the party wants that change.

"I feel like I represent the average Republican out there. I really do," Anderson said. "I didn't sugarcoat anything I said today to campaign, so I think they understand where I stand and I think they expect me to do what I said I'd do."

Evans was critical of both Anderson and Wright in his convention speech, asking delegates for their support in what he called difficult times for the party because he has "never taken my eye off the ball."

He later attributed his loss to "an accumulation of the negative stories and the questions about the party's finances," as well as what he termed "the fatigue about SB54. And I'm kind of the symbol of that."

Wright pledged to defend the caucus and convention system against the law that gives candidates the ability to skip the party process and instead gather voter signatures for a place on the primary ballot.

"I'm not concerned about the direction of the party. I just think we need to continue to be strong and we need to fight for our rights," Wright said, noting he is a member of the State Central Committee that will decide the fate of the SB54 fight.

"I'm not worried about one leader becoming a renegade and destroying the party. There are enough checks and balances there. There are enough people there that can make sure our leadership does the right thing," he said.

More than 2,000 delegates eliminated Evans in the first round of voting, and then chose Anderson over Wright in a run-off round, giving Anderson more than 56 percent of the vote.

Also elected at the party's organizing convention were Joni Crane as vice chairwoman and Lisa Shepherd as secretary. Many top elected GOP officials also spoke to delegates, including outgoing Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

Related:

Chaffetz confirms June 30 departure: 'Thank you for allowing me to serve'

Utah will lose perhaps its most visible member of Congress when Rep. Jason Chaffetz leaves office before his fifth term ends to pursue a job in the private sector.

A video featuring highlights of Chaffetz's time in Congress, including a clip of him showing off the cot he slept on in his office, was followed by an emotional speech by Chaffetz, who announced earlier this week he will step down June 30.

The congressman, elected to a fifth term last November, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and assured the delegates while he was grateful for their support, someone else could serve in his place.

Candidates seeking to represent the 3rd District were out in force at the convention, even though the election process for filling the congressional seat being vacated by Chaffetz was just announced Friday.

Supporters of the congressional bid by state Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork, handed out purple tote bags printed with her name to convention delegates while state Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, offered copies of the U.S. Constitution.

State Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, also campaigned for the congressional seat at the convention. A new party bylaw has delegates meeting June 17 at Timpview High School to name their nominee.

The rift between lawmakers and GOP Gov. Gary Herbert over his taking control of process to fill the congressional vacancy had been expected to spill over onto the convention stage.

But House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, didn't bring it up when he spoke toward the end of the convention other than reminding delegates that Republicans are "all family. We can fight. That's fine."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was introduced via video by Vice President Mike Pence. Hatch, expected by many to run for an eighth term in 2018, used his time on stage to make a presentation to San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman.

Lyman, seen as a leader of the public lands movement, was given a signed copy of President Donald Trump's executive order calling for a review of national monuments designated by past presidents since 1996, including Bears Ears.

Pence told the delegates Hatch's "unyielding persistence" was a key factor in Trump's decision to issue the order.

"On public lands and so many other issues, the president looks to Sen. Orrin Hatch as someone he can trust, just like you," Pence said. The vice president said Hatch's "tireless work will make a difference for generations to come."

Although Hatch received only a smattering of applause, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was cheered repeatedly by the delegates, especially when he waved a copy of the U.S. Constitution and urged delegates to read it and "vote accordingly."

A resolution supporting the use of medical cannabis drew long lines of delegates both for and against the measure, but it failed handily, with more than 72 percent opposed.

One of the backers of the resolution, Connor Boyack, Libertas Utah president, tweeted afterward that a "medical cannabis ballot initiative will pass in November 2018, with or without the votes of some GOP delegates."

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