By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

The march toward June’s primary election intensified over the weekend as the Carbon County Republican party gathered for its county convention.

With all local races shaping up for a Republican primary, the convention held gravity for all candidates seeking to win the delegate vote and earn the party’s formal nod.

Carbon County Sheriff

Entering the convention, three candidates were vying for the delegate vote: Frankie Tapia, TJ Robertson and Nicholas Parker. 

Parker entered the day with the most at stake, having opted only for the convention path to the ballot. He characterized the move as a “deliberate choice to run through the caucus and convention system,” stating that “leadership should be chosen by engaged citizens, not bypassed through signature gathering.”

In the first round of voting, Tapia led the field with 49% of the delegate vote. Robertson and Parker tied for second with nine votes each (26%), forcing a runoff to determine who would advance to the final round. Robertson defeated Parker with 66% of the runoff vote, ending Parker’s bid for office.

In the final round, Tapia maintained his lead, earning 71% of the electorate to be named the convention winner. However, because Robertson also qualified via the signature-gathering process, the two will face off again in the June primary. Unless a write-in candidate emerges, that primary will effectively decide the sheriff’s race.

Carbon County Commissioner/Surveyor

Two candidates entered the commissioner/surveyor race: Christine Watkins and Kourtney Cox, both seeking to fill the seat left by incumbent commissioner Tony Martines, who isn’t seeking reelection.

Cox dominated the delegate vote, earning 89% of the delegates to Watkins’ 11%.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support shown at convention. Thank you to everyone who took the time to be there, to ask questions, and to be part of the process,” Cox said in a social media post following the event. “This campaign is about our community and getting the decisions in front of us right. I’m committed to continuing the conversations and putting in the work.”

The election is not over for Watkins, however, as she gathered signatures to qualify for the primary ballot.

The winner of the primary election will advance to the general election, where they will face off against Democratic candidate Oran Stainbrook.

Carbon County Commissioner

In the race for the open Carbon County Commission seat, incumbent Larry Jensen squared off against challenger Daniel Campbell.

In the closest race of the night, neither candidate garnered the required 60% of the vote to be declared the outright winner. Campbell edged Jensen by a single vote, 18 to 17. 

With this narrow margin, both candidates will advance to the primary election with GOP support.

What’s next?

Next for the Republican Party will be the GOP’s nominating convention, which takes place on Saturday, April 25, at the Utah Community Credit Union Center on the campus of Utah Valley University. It is here where delegates will vote on candidates for multicounty and federal elections. 

For the Castle Country, this means the vacant House District 67 seat and a congressional seat in Utah’s new third congressional district.