Trump weighs in on Utah GOP chair race by endorsing incumbent

By Daniel Woodruff, KSL | Posted - May 9, 2025 at 12:09 a.m.

 

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

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Daniel Woodruff, KSLDaniel Woodruff
Daniel Woodruff is a reporter and fill-in anchor at KSL. Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Provo, Daniel attended Provo High School and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from Brigham Young University. He worked as a reporter at a FOX affiliate in Indiana, followed by several years as the primary weeknight anchor at an ABC affiliate in Wisconsin. In 2014, Daniel and his family returned home to Utah, where he spent nearly seven years as a reporter at KUTV, along with a stint working in public relations. In January 2024, he joined the KSL news team. Daniel has covered many high-profile stories in his career, including the Great Recession and its effects, the Wisconsin recall elections, the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the Westminster Bridge terror attack in London, the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests in North Dakota, the Brian Head fire, the Las Vegas mass shooting, and the Lori Vallow Daybell murder trial. He has also reported extensively on Utah politics and covered multiple legislative sessions. Daniel enjoys running, reading non-fiction, trying new restaurants (especially Indian food) and traveling. He met his wife on a blind date. They have three children.
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