Is the presidential primary process broken? Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert thinks so

SALT LAKE CITY — Plenty of people would like to declare the Republican presidential primary over.

Former President Donald Trump leads in national polls by nearly 60 percentage points. In Iowa, he cruised to a blowout victory; in New Hampshire, the same. In Nevada, he secured 99% of the vote in an uncompetitive primary. Now, with only three states' ballots cast, the Republican nomination is all but decided.

Is this how it should be? Gary Herbert doesn't think so. The former Utah governor is an outspoken critic of the current GOP primary process. In 2016, while chairman of the National Governors Association, Herbert slammed the Utah GOP's decision to hold a caucus instead of a primary. In 2019, he officially made Utah a Super Tuesday state, attempting to add notoriety to the state's primary. And in 2020, he called for a complete overhaul of the primary system, claiming the current format doesn't bring out the best presidential candidates.

In the years since, Herbert's views have only become more certain. "I think what we have right now is not serving the people very well," Herbert told the Deseret News. Saying that the GOP primary is over, after just three states, is "shortsighted," he said — not because he doubts Trump's odds, but because he thinks the system that got us here is fundamentally broken.

After New Hampshire, "People say, 'it's over,' after two states voting," Herbert said. "We shouldn't be running this by poll. It should be offensive to the other 48 states, with people saying, 'You don't have a need or a right to be able to vote and choose somebody.'"

Count Herbert among the offended. At present, the Republican primary calendar incentivizes candidates to pour time and resources into the early states while ignoring the others. Ron DeSantis spent over $50 million in Iowa, only to win less than 25,000 votes; Haley-affiliated super PACs spent over $24 million in New Hampshire, only for her to finish in a distant second place.

"Why is it that Iowa goes first?" Herbert said. "Why is it that New Hampshire goes second? New Hampshire is smaller than Utah."

Herbert's plan? Split the country into four regions and create a rotating calendar. Each state within a region would hold its primary on the same day or in a cluster, allowing candidates to focus on that geographic area. The primaries would occur in four waves, prolonged over several months. Every four years, the regions would take turns going first — giving each state, alongside the other states in its region, the opportunity to eventually be the "first in the nation."

"Everybody has a chance to vote," Herbert said. "We count the votes when it's all over and we'll see who actually wins. But now, we don't even do that. I mean, see this election here. Two states have spoken and it's over."

Herbert has other ideas, too. He thinks ballot access should be simplified and the costs of running a presidential campaign lowered, so a wider swath of Americans can run, if they desire.

Herbert is still working through the details. He's gathering his thoughts and fine-tuning some aspects of his plan, and when he's finished, he'll release a more detailed vision, perhaps through his Herbert Institute at Utah Valley University. "We'll perfect it — we'll come up with something that makes some sense, I think, about what is an option," he said.

For now, Herbert is watching the race for the Republican nomination closely. He hasn't made an endorsement, though he says he's "certainly open" to either candidate who wishes to talk to him about endorsing. More than anything, he wants to see a fair race decided by the voters. "I don't think (Haley) should drop out," he said. "I think she should stay the course and give the states what they deserve. And that's your right to choose — hear from the candidates, make a decision and then vote."

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