WASHINGTON — After losing his Republican primary this week, Rep. Merrill Cook, R-Utah, said Thursday he is now considering running as a write-in candidate this fall.
He also said he wanted for months to run as an independent to avoid that GOP primary. He figured that was the only way to stop Democrats — who can vote in Utah's GOP primary — from invading it to defeat him. He believes that's exactly what happened.
Cook said he didn't leave the party before the primary because national GOP leaders promised heavy support if he would stay in the fold. "I lived up to my part of the deal. They should have lived up to theirs," Cook told the Deseret News.
Because he didn't receive the support he says he was promised, Cook says, he considers himself free to run a write-in campaign now. He even questions whether leaders purposely left him out in the cold to try to dump him.
And Cook said he won't endorse Tuesday's GOP victor, Derek Smith, unless Smith and his campaign spokeswoman, Laurie Maddox, personally apologize to him for calling him a liar. Maddox said Thursday no apology will be forthcoming.
"We're sorry he feels that way. But we won't apologize for running a better campaign and winning," Maddox said.
In other developments, Cook is telling House leaders not to bother asking him how he will vote anymore because he won't say, doesn't want to be lobbied by them and is outlining ways he says national and local GOP leaders failed to help him.
Cook said Thursday he will consider running as a write-in candidate under three conditions.
"First, I would make it clear I would be running as a Republican on core Republican issues," he said.
"Second, I would run if people come to an understanding that Derek Smith may not be up to it, or able to win because of such things as problems on his financial disclosure form about whom he sold his stock to, which he won't reveal," Cook said.
"Third, people would have to show support for me," he said.
Asked Tuesday night what could happen if Cook jumps from the party or runs a write-in campaign, Utah Republican Party chairman Rob Bishop said he hoped Cook wouldn't. Not referring to Cook by name, Bishop said that three times before — in 1988, 1992 and 1994 — there were three-way races in top offices (Cook was an independent in each of those) "and the Republican won each time. So, we can win a three-way race," Bishop said.
Cook said Thursday he is not ruling out an endorsement of Smith. But, he said, before they even talk about that, he wants three things to occur.
He said he wants Smith to disclose who bought Internet company stocks he sold to finance his campaign; he wants to Smith to apologize publicly for calling Cook "a liar 16 different times in debates"; and he wants a public apology from Smith's press secretary for saying that "slime follows me wherever I go."
Maddox, who clearly doesn't want a continued fight with Cook, said she finds it interesting that Cook is now saying he's considering a write-in campaign. "In several debates he was asked that question — we have it on tape — and he said he would not run a write-in campaign. Derek is the (Republican Party) nominee. Merrill will just have to do whatever he thinks he has to do."
Cook said that polling showed him early on that it would be easier for him to run as an independent than a Republican because of a quirk in Utah election law that allows Democrats and independents to vote in the GOP primary.
"Those people tend to vote against the incumbent," he said. "That's exactly what happened. I pleaded with (House Speaker Dennis) Hastert and others to let me run as an independent. I would still vote Republican and meet with the Republican caucus."
Cook admits, "That gave them heartburn." He adds that they promised to work hard for him if he stayed in the party, including raising $100,000 for him, and having Hastert record a get-out-the-vote message for him.
While Hastert did visit Utah for Cook, Cook said other GOP efforts only raised $35,000 for him instead of the promised $100,000. And Hastert never recorded the promised message, which Cook said may have occurred because of interference from Hastert's staff.
"We needed that message to trump a message Smith had from (former Gov.) Norm Bangerter," he said. "Some had said they offered me support only to keep me in the party. I never believed that. But what happened in the last week or so makes me wonder."
Cook said it was also emotionally difficult for him to see Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, "sit on the sidelines and not help me in the race." And Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, went so far as to nominate Smith at the GOP convention. (Cook said he has no disputes with Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah.)
Meanwhile, national GOP leaders lost no time Wednesday in quickly throwing their full support behind Smith — even though they had unsuccessfully publicly supported Cook against him.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., issued a statement saying his group will work hard to help Smith keep the seat in Republican hands.
"The bad news is a Republican incumbent lost. The good news is we have a strong nominee in this seat for the fall," Davis said. Smith will face Democrat Jim Matheson for Cook's seat.
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