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The Brigham Young University professor blocked from entering the race for outgoing Rep. Jason Chaffetz's seat has decided not to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court after a judge ruled Friday that state election officials were right to reject his application.

Chia-Chi Teng — who lost to Chaffetz in last year's GOP primary by a 4-to-1 margin — wrote in an open letter Monday that though he's "confident" he would win a legal challenge, he doesn't want to delay or create additional costs for the expedited special election.

"This has never been my intention," he said. "I want the people of Utah's 3rd Congressional District to be represented as soon as possible after Rep. Chaffetz vacates our seat."

Teng brought a lawsuit against the state last week after he was barred from filing as a Republican candidate. The professor had filled out the papers and submitted them before the May 26 deadline. But he attempted to declare his candidacy electronically from China; Utah statute requires that applicants file in person.

As a proxy, Teng had sent his son to the state elections office with a computer displaying him in a live video chat. State officials turned him away.

Choosing to drop his case more than a week after filing closed — and three days after 3rd District Judge Barry Lawrence called the state's application requirements "entirely reasonable" — "was a difficult decision for him to make," said Tim Conde, Teng's attorney.

Had the court ruled in Teng's favor Friday, Conde believes the professor could have joined the race immediately and could have made up for the lost time. Continuing to pursue the case now, though, would handicap him as a candidate by limiting his window to collect signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Teng argued that when state officials stopped him from filing from outside the country, it violated his constitutional rights with "no legitimate reason." He said an exception should have been made for the special election because of the short notice.

It's unclear whether Teng plans to file as an unaffiliated candidate — which he can still do until June 12 — or run as a write-in contender. He could not be reached for comment Monday, though he posted the letter on his Twitter and Facebook accounts that still list him as a "candidate for United States Congress."

Teng is in China until June 18, according to the lawsuit, while he teaches a group of 20 BYU students.

With Teng not filing an appeal, Utah Elections Director Mark Thomas said it's "nice to be able to move on and not have to worry about further litigation on this issue."

"He was also very respectful in realizing that trying to push forward with an appeal could certainly affect the overall election," Thomas added.

With Chaffetz stepping down June 30 and a flood of 21 candidates looking to replace him, Thomas has attempted to save $2 million by coupling the special election with existing municipal races in the 3rd Congressional District. During the lawsuit, he maintained that requiring candidates to file in person allows election officials to verify identification and administer oaths.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, has drafted a bill that would lift that requirement. Exceptions currently exist only for members of the military and state and federal employees outside of Utah during the filing period. Though that's broad enough to include University of Utah employees, BYU is not part of the exemption because it is a private institution owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Teng hopes his lawsuit "shed enough light on this unconstitutional statute that it is now on the Legislature's radar."

The elections office will also likely receive another complaint later this week. Jim Bennett, son of the late three-term Sen. Bob Bennett and a registered Republican until Donald Trump's presidential run, plans on "mounting a legal challenge" after he was also kept from filing in the race for Chaffetz's seat.

Bennett had attempted to submit his candidacy under the banner of the recently formed centrist United Utah Party. That group, though, had yet to be certified by the lieutenant governor's office by the filing deadline. State officials declined Bennett's request that he be allowed to file provisionally until the party was verified.

Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner