Stewart Peay will lead Utah County Republican Party for next two years
Party chair candidate Stewart Peay speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Party chair candidate Stewart Peay speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Attendees walk past signs at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Party chair candidate Ben Stanley speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Party secretary candidate John Morris, at left, talks with a voter at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
A view of the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
State chair candidate Derek Brown (C) talks with a voter at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
State chair candidate Derek Brown (C) talks with voters at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
A voter holds a ballot for the Party Chair candidates Ben Stanley and Stewart Peay at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
A voter holds a ballot for the Party Chair candidates Ben Stanley and Stewart Peay at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Party chair candidate Ben Stanley speaks as his wife looks on at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Party chair candidate Ben Stanley speaks as his wife looks on at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
A view of voters seated in rows at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Vice Chair Carolina Herrin speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Secretary Karen Ellingson speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Secretary Karen Ellingson speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Secretary John Morris speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Mountain View High School in Orem. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Secretary John Morris speaks with his daughter by his side at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Secretary John Morris speaks with his daughter by his side at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Treasurer Brandon Loveland speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Treasurer Brandon Loveland speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Volunteers collect ballots at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
Candidate for Party Vice-Chair Travis Hoban at the Utah County Republican Party Organizing Convention Political Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Mountain View High School. (Photo by Natalie Behring, special to the Daily Herald).
The Utah County Republican Party elected a whole new slate of leadership Saturday at its organizing convention at Mountain View High School in Orem.
Heading up the party’s new leadership team will be Salt Lake City lawyer Stewart Peay, who was elected as the party’s new chairman, beating out Lehi attorney Ben Stanley with 56.7 percent of the county delegate vote to Stanley’s 43.3 percent.
Peay said he ran for the position because he is worried about the future of the Republican Party.
“I applaud President Trump, in his recent State of the Union address when he said that the United States would never become a socialist country,” Peay told delegates during a stump speech prior to the vote. “I have seen what the world looks like where socialists rule, and that is not acceptable to Americans.”
Peay said the Democratic Party is inching ever-closer to socialism, and vowed to delegates to keep electing Republicans and switch the 4th Congressional District — represented currently by Rep. Ben McAdams, Utah County’s only Democratic elected official — back to a Republican seat.
“The days of winning elections because we Utah Republicans are disappearing,” Peay said. “A respected political analyst recently said Utah has all the markers of a blue state, and that Democrats will win more and more here in the next 15 years. Ladies and gentlemen, not on my watch.”
Doing that as a county party will require swaying and recruiting young voters, Peay said, including reaching out to them, helping them understand Republican values and inviting them to events. Peay said he always wants to strengthen the caucus/convention system and use technology to make the caucus more effective.
After the results of the election were announced, Peay told delegates there was a lot of hard work in front to improve the party.
“Over the next weeks and months we’ll be reaching out to you, asking you to help us to build the Republican Party into the power we need to be,” Peay said.
Current chair Rob Craig, who led the party for the past two years, chose not to run again, but said much had been accomplished over the past two years, including more inclusion of allied organizations and outreach to college Republican groups.
Carolina Herrin will serve as the party’s vice chair under Peay, having garnered 55.9 percent of the delegate vote to competitor Travis Hoban’s 44.1 percent.
Herrin said the party needs to be invigorated, and must bring back disenfranchised voters and engage young voters.
Rounding out the leadership team will be Karen Ellingson, who beat out John Morris with 51.2 percent of the vote, and Brandon Loveland as the new treasurer with 77.6 percent of the vote over Skyler Beltran.
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