SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Two Utah gubernatorial candidates whose campaigns were stymied by the coronavirus crisis have ended legal pushes to get on the primary ballot.
Developer Jan Garbett, a Republican, ended her lawsuit over the weekend, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. She had argued that the state didn’t do enough to accommodate the difficulties created by the pandemic, which canceled large gatherings and made door knocking nearly impossible.
Fellow Republican and Provo businessman Jeff Burningham had joined her push. A judge rejected his arguments but agreed to lower the thresholds for Garbett, who entered the race as a Republican skeptical of President Donald Trump.
But even with the lowered requirements, Garbett’s signatures were short because too many were declared invalid. A signature can be declared invalid if the person wasn’t registered as a Republican or had already endorsed another gubernatorial candidate’s petition.
The end of the lawsuit means four candidates will appear on the GOP primary ballot: Former state House Speaker Greg Hughes, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, ex-U.S.-Russia Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. and former GOP chair Thomas Wright.
Republican incumbent Gary Herbert is not running again.
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