2007 GOP State Organizing Convention Update #1

Two executive officer candidates withdraw from the race; two Chairman candidates meet with Weber County GOP delegates

We confirmed on Friday that two Utah GOP executive officer candidates have now withdrawn their candidacies, and will not be on the ballot for our June 9 State Organizing Convention.

Nancy Lord has dropped out of the race for State Party Chairman, narrowing the field of contested candidates for the party's top office to five. Carolyn Jeppsen-Smith, who had filed as a candidate for Party Secretary, has also taken herself out of contention, leaving Patty Johnson unopposed, and thus the next apparent candidate to fill the Secretary office seat.

Steve Harmsen, Utah GOP Party Chairman candidate, has asked us to announce his invitation to all Weber and Box Elder County State Delegates to attend a "Meet and Greet Social" on Wednesday, June 6, 7-8:30 pm, at Maddox Ranch House Restaurant. We hope our Weber County delegates will take advantage of this convenient opportunity to meet Mr. Harmsen, and to familiarize themselves with his platform and views.

We'll also note that Aaron Bludworth, another candidate for the Utah GOP Chairman's office, hosted a similar event for Weber County state delegates last Friday. Many Weber County delegates were in attendance, and Mr. Bludworth graciously took questions, affording members of our Weber County delegation an excellent opportunity to acquaint themselves with Mr. Bludworth and his vision for the future of the Utah State Republican Party.

We salute Mr. Bludworth and Mr. Harmsen, for "going the extra mile," and affirmatively reaching out to our Weber County Republican Party state delegates. It's our continuing hope that the Weber County Party will increase its level of influence in State Party affairs during the next 2-year Utah GOP executive officer term; and we view the recent actions of these two candidates as encouraging evidence that at least Mr. Bludworth and Mr. Harmsen are attentive to the concerns of Weber County Republicans.

We'll also take the risk of speculating that these two candidates' extra efforts may indeed reflect the kind of work ethic which seems to have been recently lacking in our State Party.

Kudos to these two gentlemen for including Weber County venues in their 2007 pre-convention campaigns.