Phil Lyman seeks to ruin Utah’s gubernatorial race with an unwavering bid from the right. | Hits and misses

Miss: Two rights
Utah Democrats and perhaps most Utah voters are questioning their very existence after the latest comments from alleged gubernatorial bid spoiler Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding. Lyman is outraged after “losing” the Republican nomination, and his outrage knows no bounds. As he mounts a write-in campaign, Lyman says Spencer Cox didn’t really collect enough signatures to make it onto the ballot, that Cox is a tool for “the left,” and — wait for it — he’s too conscious to be governor of this conservative state. Cox has a tendency “toward left-leaning globalist politics and embracing leftist culture.” Just ask Tucker Carlson, who helped Lyman expose the governor’s socialist agenda. After all, Cox described his pronouns to some young people, supported the Democratic mayor of Salt Lake City in a nonpartisan race, and more. Clinging to his 67% victory at the fringe Republican convention, Lyman sued and lost in the Supreme Court while accusing Lt. Gov. Diedre Henderson of malfeasance. But back to consciousness: Far-right Republicans must have a secret definition of the term if Cox exemplifies it.

Miss: In moderation
Until Donald Trump’s close encounter with a bullet in mid-air, Cox was seen as a moderate. Now, he’s endorsed Trump because he’s sure the former guy has changed. Of course, within days of Cox endorsing, Trump proved him wrong. Still, Cox is working on his conservative reputation with every bone in his body. He embraced a rural leader who calls environmentalists “terrorists,” signed a law to ban trans kids from using public bathrooms, is in favor of seizing federal land, and doesn’t like diversity, equity, or inclusion. In his “it’s better to disagree” universe, Cox just signed a law to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to prevent that pesky public from disagreeing with their representatives. If anything, he knows who’s buttering his bread. Trump was expected to be in Utah, but he declined the invitation after realizing Cox is now on his side and Lyman, whom he pardoned, is an unlikely ally. Don’t mess with success.

Hit: A Closer Look
Well, John “Frugal” Dougall won’t be state auditor for much longer, but he still has a few cards up his sleeve. He’s agreed to review Utah’s election process, which has been a favorite target of Phil Lyman this year. Lyman is questioning how the signatures were collected and wants to see who signed. But hey, Utah law says signatures are protected and voters can choose to keep them private. Really, who would want a candidate harassing them for why they signed something to get another candidate on the ballot? It’s not a vote. Dougall “will focus only on certain aspects of the election process, including the controls and disclosure of voter registration information, as well as the validation process associated with candidate signature collection,” according to a recent statement. Lyman will no doubt denounce him anyway, because Dougall isn’t MAGA enough.