Trump weighs in on Utah GOP chair race by endorsing incumbent

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State GOP chair Rob Axson (Stuart Johnson, KSL TV)

Governor candidate Phil Lyman makes a statement after leaving the court room with Layne Bangerter at the 3rd District Court in West Jordan, on Friday, May 3, 2024. The judge ruled Bangerter would not be on the ballot as Lyman’s running mate. (Marielle Scott, Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — President Trump waded into the race for Utah Republican chair, throwing his support behind the incumbent just over a week before the state GOP convention. Trump endorsed Rob Axson, who is running for a second term leading the state Republican party. He was first elected in 2023.“Robert Axson has dedicated his life to the Republican Party, and the Great State of Utah,” Trump wrote in a post Thursday afternoon on Truth Social. “He is Strongly Supported by many, including Highly Respected Senator Mike Lee, and Governor Spencer Cox.” Axson, who previously worked as a staffer for Lee, is facing a challenge from former state lawmaker Phil Lyman. Lyman ran for governor last year and won the party’s nomination at the state convention, but he lost to Cox in the Republican primary.Lyman was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after he was convicted of leading an illegal ATV ride six years earlier through Recapture Canyon in San Juan County. Party delegates will elect a chair at the state GOP convention on May 17.