SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman will likely have to find a new running mate — and fast — after a judge ruled Friday that his pick for lieutenant governor, Layne Bangerter, is not eligible to be included on the Republican primary ballot.
“We cherish the right to run for office and participate in our government,” 3rd District Court Judge Matthew Bates said on Friday after considering the arguments made by Lyman’s ticket and the state for just over an hour. “That right, however, is subject to a few qualifications that the Supreme Court has described as ‘fundamental’ in our Constitution. Those are not policies in the Constitution, but they are mandates.”
Bates said he will file a written decision on Monday. The court only ruled on Lyman’s request for a temporary restraining order on the state denying Bangerter’s access to the ballot and did not make a final ruling resolving the case.
After Bates informed the court of his decision, an attorney representing the state said, “The lieutenant governor’s office is interested in making sure that Mr. Lyman is able to choose a running mate, and so we’ll work with him in the hall outside or after these proceedings to do our best.”
Read the full story here: Salt Lake Tribune
Written by EMILY ANDERSON STERN, sltrib.com