CACHE COUNTY – After reaffirming his commitment to fight for the District 3 seat in the Utah Legislature earlier this week, local candidate Paul Borup changed his mind and threw in the towel on April 19.
Borup’s action cedes the Republican nomination for the seat now occupied by outgoing Utah Rep. Dan Johnson (R-Dist. 3) to River Heights Mayor Jason Thompson.
After a poor showing at the Cache County GOP Nominating Convention on April 13, Borup briefly considering withdrawing from contention for the District 3 seat on April 15.
At that GOP gathering, Thompson fell just shy of the 70 percent of delegate votes needed to cinch the Republican nomination.
Of 116 ballots cast in the House District 3 race, Thompson garnered nearly 69 percent, compared to Borup’s vote count of 30.17 percent.
While obviously disappointed with the results of the convention balloting, Borup was nevertheless buoyed by what he called “fresh endorsements” from veteran county officials who urged him to continue with the District 3 race.
Individual expressing their support of Borup’s campaign reportedly included Sen. Chris Wilson (R-Dist. 2); incumbent Cache County Council members Sandi Goodlander and Barbara Tidwell; County Sheriff Chad Jensen; and Jordan Mathis, the executive director of the Bear River Health Department.
Prior to Borup’s withdrawal, he and Thompson were scheduled to compete in the upcoming Republican primary in June.
As the last GOP candidate standing, Thompson will face off against independent candidate Patrick Belmont in the General Election in November.