Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Utah governor and attorney general will debate next week.
All 18 GOP hopefuls have confirmed with the Utah Debate Commission that they will participate in the hour-long primary election debates. The primarily vote-by-mail primary election will be on June 25.
Prime-time debate slots will be taken by the open Senate race to replace Sen. Mitt Romney, the gubernatorial race and the crowded competition to fill the open 3rd Congressional District seat currently occupied by Rep. John Curtis.
How to watch
The debates will be hosted at the PBS studio on the University of Utah campus, and will be carried by the commission’s media partners, including KSL TV. It will also stream on the commission’s Facebook page. Recordings will be available on the commission’s website after the event.
When will Utah congressional candidates debate?
The Senate GOP primary debate will take place on Monday, June 10, at 6 p.m., the Utah Debate Commission announced on Tuesday.
It will feature the four candidates who qualified for the June 25 primary. Rep. John Curtis, former state House Speaker Brad Wilson and Moxie Pest Control CEO Jason Walton gathered at least 28,000 certified signatures from registered Republicans across the state to appear on the ballot. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs became the party’s official nominee and qualified for the primary ballot after winning the state GOP nominating convention on April 27 with 70% of the vote. He did not gather signatures.
The Senate debate will be moderated by Glen Mills, the director of communications and government relations for the Utah Department of Corrections. Mills previously worked as the chief political correspondent for ABC4 News.
Debates for Utah’s 1st and 2nd congressional districts will also take place on June 10.
At 10 a.m., recently elected incumbent Celeste Maloy, who represents the 2nd District, will face off against Colby Jenkins, a military veteran endorsed by Sen. Mike Lee. Maloy and Jenkins, neither of whom gathered signatures, both received at least 40% of party delegates’ support during the convention, ensuring their place on the debate stage and primary ballot. The debate will be moderated by radio talk show host Rod Arquette.
At 2 p.m., 1st District Rep. Blake Moore will debate Ogden electrician Paul Miller. Moore and Miller advanced to the primary after both receiving at least 40% at the state convention. Moore also gathered the 7,000 signatures required for congressional primaries. The primary debate will be moderated by Julie Rose, host of BYU Radio’s “Top of Mind” podcast.
When will candidates for Utah governor, attorney general debate?
Candidates for Utah’s top statewide races will debate on Tuesday, June 11.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will debate state Rep. Phil Lyman at 6 p.m. on June 11. Lyman, a convention-only candidate, defeated Cox at the state convention 67.5%-32.5%. Cox, who remains popular among Republican primary voters at the end of his first term, qualified for the primary via signature gathering. Their debate will be moderated by KUER assistant news director Caroline Ballard.
Earlier that day, at 2 p.m., candidates for the open state attorney general position will face off. Vying to replace outgoing Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes are Derek Brown, former deputy chief of staff for Sen. Mike Lee; Frank Mylar, a constitutional litigation lawyer; and Rachel Terry, the director of Utah’s Division of Risk Management. The debate will be also be moderated by Mills.
The open 3rd Congressional District race will have a debate on Wednesday, June 12, at 6 p.m.
Five candidates qualified for the primary debate stage — four via the signature pathway and one via convention nomination. The official GOP nominee is state Sen. Mike Kennedy, who received 61.5% of delegates’ votes. He will appear with Roosevelt Mayor JR Bird, entrepreneur Case Lawrence, state auditor John Dougall and commercial litigator Stewart Peay, who has been endorsed by Sen. Mitt Romney.
The 3rd District debate will be moderated by former Utah GOP chair Thomas Wright.
What is the Utah Debate Commission?
Utah Debate Commission co-chair Becky Edwards said candidates were given a contract on Monday to confirm their participation in the primary debates and their commitment to follow Utah Debate Commission guidelines.
Candidates are not allowed to have prepared notes. They will be provided a blank notepad and pen by the commission. Candidates also cannot have earpieces or electronic devices on their person during the debate. The contracts must be received by the commission by midnight on May 15 for candidates to remain eligible.
Though the event is not open to attend, members of the public can submit questions to the commission until May 30.
All Democratic and third party nominees were selected during the party convention process last month. They will not have any primary debates.
The winner of the Republican primary election will face off against the nominees from other parties in the Nov. 5 general election.
The Utah Debate Commission is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization modeled after the Presidential Debate Commission. It first hosted debates in 2014 with the help of funding from the state legislature, Edwards said. Its board of directors is composed of leaders in Utah media, higher education and business.