This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sen. Mike Lee's announcement this week that he will go the signature-gathering route as well as the party's caucus/convention nominating system to get on the 2016 Republican primary ballot is full of ironies.

First, the requirement of gathering enough signatures to get on the primary ballot regardless of how delegates vote at the convention was featured in SB54, the 2014 compromise bill the Legislature negotiated to avoid a ballot initiative that would have changed the nominating system to a direct primary.

And that ballot initiative, which was spearheaded by several prominent Republicans as well as Democrats and independents, was in large part inspired by the desire to dump Lee in the GOP primary and nominate a candidate deemed more moderate.

It also was a reaction to the way Lee was elected in 2010, after the Republican Party's convention delegates dispatched popular and well-respected three-term Sen. Bob Bennett, keeping him off the primary ballot. Lee then barely defeated Tim Bridgewater, the other convention survivor, in the GOP primary.

Secondly, Lee, behind the scenes, was doing what he could to scuttle SB54, worried himself that a path to the ballot that skirted the caucus-convention system that has favored in recent years the more extremist candidates would make his re-election more difficult.

After legislative leaders announced they had reached a compromise with Count My Vote, the organization behind the initiative petition, they later reported the deal had fallen apart.

Then, the next day, they announced it was back on again and it eventually it was passed.

The holdup came from Rep. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who was the House sponsor of the bill and wanted to delay implementation until after the 2016 election, which meant it wouldn't have affected Lee's re-election bid. McCay eventually relented.

Thirdly, the Utah Republican Party has passionately objected to the new law and fought it both in the court of law and the court of public opinion.

The party passed the necessary changes in its bylaws to comport with the law, which it needed to do to be allowed on the ballot as a qualified party. But it also has tried to overturn the law in court and passed resolutions stating that only qualified Republicans can be on the Republican ballot. To be a qualified Republican, the candidate must adhere to all the party's constitutional and bylaw requirements, which includes going through the caucus/convention system for the nomination.

Lee said he will go through the caucus/convention system as well as the signature-gathering route, so he complies with the party that way. But by choosing to gather signatures for ballot qualification, he is embracing a process his own state party has condemned.

Fourth, many of the prominent Republicans who early on seemed intent on finding a viable GOP opponent to challenge Lee, particularly in light of SB54 that would open the primary up to a broader base, have flipped and now are endorsing the senator.

That may be a result of early endorsements Lee has received from such deep-pocket super-PACS as FreedomWorks and Citizens United, letting potential opponents know they could be buried with money.

And last, Lee's announcement provides cover for Gov. Gary Herbert, who is facing a challenge from the political right by former Overstock.com exec Jonathan Johnson, whose best chance at unseating the incumbent would be at the normally ultraconservative Republican convention.

By going the signature route, Herbert ensures a place on the ballot, where any challenger would have difficulty beating him. But it also offends his party's officers and base, who hold such anathema to the signature-gathering path.

But, hey, if Lee can do it, so can Herbert and a lot of county-level incumbents who might fear a challenge from the outer-limits of political sensibilities but are not wanting to offend the party bosses.

The bottom line: This ain't the party of Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower or even Ronald Reagan anymore. —