Utah GOP chair says long-term legislative strategy needed to reverse SB 54, not only litigation

Rob Axon, chair of the Utah Republican Party, said the two-track path to the primary created by SB 54 requires a long-term strategy to change state law, not only legal challenges. On the Utah County Republican Party podcast, Axon summarized the choice: “You can either litigate or you can legislate.”

Axon said litigation has been tried and "we have failed in that regard" but that doing only court challenges risks dividing and bankrupting the party. He urged delegates to pursue a multi-cycle legislative strategy to change the numbers in the Legislature and to recruit candidates who will support repealing or changing SB 54. "If we want to change the law, you have to change the law," Axon said.

Why it matters: SB 54 created a signature path that allows candidates to reach the primary ballot without winning delegate support at the caucus-convention process. Axon argued that restoring the pre-SB 54 balance depends on winning legislative majorities over multiple election cycles, recruiting aligned candidates, and using the state partyas a "carrot" to encourage elected officials to honor the delegate process.

Details from the podcast: - Axon said the party has pursued court challenges and lost "twice" and that continuing to litigate without legislative progress is unlikely to succeed. - He outlined a two-track approach: continue litigation when appropriate, but place stronger emphasis on changing state law and on building relationships with legislators to secure votes for repeal or revision. - Axon emphasized using positive incentives: the party adopted a bylaw (which he helped author) to make certain party resources available only to candidates who win convention support, calling that a "carrot" to encourage reliance on the delegate process. - He said the state party deployed resources post-convention and reported it spent a roughly "hundred 30 ish thousand dollars" on efforts that supported convention winners during the last cycle.

Discussion vs. decision: Axon described actions the party has already taken (bylaw change, targeted spending, data and get-out-the-vote support for convention winners) and recommended a direction (long-term legislative work and candidate recruitment). No new legislation or court filings were announced during the recording.

Quotes (from the podcast): - "You can either litigate or you can legislate." - "If we want to change the law, you have to change the law." - "I planted the seeds 6 years ago...we had resources that were only available to convention supported candidates."

Speakers cited in this article: Rob Axon (Chair, Utah Republican Party); Chuck (podcast host; Utah County Republican Party delegate/vice chair); Christie (podcast co-host; Utah County Republican Party official).

Authorities referenced in the discussion: SB 54 (state statute) and the partybylaws (party bylaw) that Axon described as changed to limit certain resources to convention winners.

Ending: Axon urged delegates to treat repeal of SB 54 as a long-term project that requires both building political majorities in the Legislature and continuing to use party resources to show the practical benefits of the caucus-convention path.