This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Saturday, the Tribune editorial said some Utahns were wrong to skip the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. And some were right to go.

— Chaffetz, Stewart and Love wrong to avoid GOP convention — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

" ... The fact that Reps. Jason Chaffetz, Chris Stewart and Mia Love will not even bother to attend the convention suggests that they have little real interest in helping their constituents from Utah. ...

" ... On that score, Sen. Mike Lee scores some serious courage points. Right or wrong, Lee stood up for his ideals by attending not only the convention but taking an active role in the deliberations of the party's Rules Committee.

"There Lee — and his fellow delegate wife, Sharon Lee — represented Utah Republicans who overwhelmingly rejected Trump in their caucuses last March. They led a last-ditch effort to give convention delegates the freedom to stop and think about what they are about to do to their party, and their country. A chance to be active representatives of those who elected them and consider if they should really nominate a candidate who personifies none of the traditional Utah Republican values and threatens to drag the whole of the GOP down to a disastrous defeat come November. ..."

Early today:

— From Cleveland: Never Trump's Last Stand — Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune

"Gayle Ruzicka and Utah's anti-Trump delegates have rounded up signatures from more than half of the state's delegation in a last-ditch effort to try to derail Donald Trump's nomination. ...

" ... It's a long shot, but Trump opponents see the floor vote as a final attempt to stop Trump from becoming the party's standard bearer. ...

" ... One of those who plans to vote to reject the rules is Sen. Mike Lee, who, along with his wife, Sharon, were Utah's representatives on the rules committee.

" 'The rules process didn't turn out quite the way we had hoped and we ended up with a package of rules that I don't think serves the Republican Party well,' Lee said. 'When we're asked to vote on those rules today, I'm going to vote against the rules package.'

"The delegation clapped loudly at that point.

"The rules fight will play out this afternoon, as the convention is called to order. Stay tuned."

Later today, this:

— The Republican party just had a nightmare moment on the convention floor — Chris Cillizza | The Washington Post

" ... 'Roll call vote' was the chant of the anti-Trump forces, a desire to have each state, one by one, announce their support or opposition not only for the rules package but, more broadly, for Trump.

"Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack was — unfortunately for him — tasked with overseeing this chaos. The first time he tried to declare that the 'ayes' (pro-Trump) votes had it, he was shouted down and left the stage. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a leading voice of the anti-Trump movement, called that decision to flee 'surreal' and admitted that he had no idea what would come next. ..."

— The chaos that just broke out on the Republican convention floor, explained — Andrew Prokop | Vox

" ... Shouts of 'Roll call vote!' and 'Dump Trump' rang out in front of an empty stage, as anti-Trump delegates, including Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, demanded a full roll call vote on what the convention's rules should be — rules that, in theory, could have affected whether Trump could be blocked from getting nomination. The Colorado delegation even walked out over the fight. And pro-Trump delegates attempted to drown out the protests by yelling, 'USA!' ..."

But maybe it would have been as well for one other member of the delegation to stay home:

— Orrin Hatch tells Utah's Republican delegates to put concerns aside and get behind Donald Trump — Matt Canham | The Salt Lake Tribune

"Akron, Ohio • Utah's delegation to the Republican National Convention might not love Donald Trump and pine for an alternative, but they 'have to get over it,' said Sen. Orrin Hatch, who sponsored a breakfast Monday for the largely Anti-Trump group.

"Hatch is in Ohio to act as a surrogate for the presumptive nominee, speaking not only to Utahns, but to delegations from other states throughout the week.

"He used Trump's slogan 'Make American Great Again!' and said hesitant Republicans should keep in mind that the next president will likely change the balance of the Supreme Court.

" 'He deserves our support,' Hatch said in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. 'I think the sooner they accept that, the better off we are all going to be and then we can get behind him and hopefully help him win.'..."