GOP State Rep Mounts Gubernatorial Primary Challenge to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox

GOP Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman on Monday announced he will run against Gov. Spencer Cox in the 2024 Republican gubernatorial primary.

"Utah didn't elect a governor to politely negotiate the terms of our surrender," said Lyman in a campaign ad. "We elected a governor to stand up for us."

In the ad, Lyman highlighted his arrest and conviction for illegally riding an ATV through Recapture Canyon, an archeological site that is restricted federal property, during a protest in 2015. He served 10 days in jail and 36 months probation and was ordered to pay a $96,000 fine.

Lyman's conviction is described as "standing up to federal overreach and the radical liberal agenda" in the campaign ad.

Lyman was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in 2020.

First elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2018, Lyman is in his second term in office. He previously served as San Juan County Commissioner.