This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Most Utah politicos agree that in the race to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican will be the ultimate victor. With 12 GOP candidates, how has the new Count My Vote SB54 election paradigm changed things?

I'll note my conflict here – I was part of the initial litigation team that sued the state on behalf of the Republican Party. The case was based primarily on the party's constitutional right to freedom of association – the right to choose for itself who its representatives would be. That being said, I am glad there is an additional path to the ballot. I just wish the party would have created that path itself.

SB54 left us with a convention path to the primary and a signature path to the primary. Candidates can choose one, or both. A Republican county chair filed an affidavit in the legal case that claimed SB54 substitutes an "intense vetting process where candidates are eliminated that do not represent party values and standards" with "a more superficial process of hiring signature-gathering workers to stand outside of grocery stores." He was right.

Let's examine three candidates taking different routes to the primary, arguably the top contenders: Utah state Sen. Deidre Henderson, Provo Mayor John Curtis and political newcomer Tanner Ainge.

Sen. Deidre Henderson is running a convention-only campaign. Henderson is known in the state as a consistently conservative legislator who gets things done. Her signature legislative efforts include increasing government transparency and removing onerous small business regulations – like separate food truck license requirements in each city and county. She has already hosted 27 intimate delegate meetings throughout the district. Her website includes information about her legislative record and details her positions on current issues. Republicans know who she is and what she stands for, and can vote accordingly.

Mayor John Curtis is running a convention and signature-gathering path to the primary ballot. Curtis claims that of the 15,000 signatures he submitted, volunteers collected at least 7,000. So he only paid for half of them.

Despite his signatures, Curtis is also participating in the party convention. This will allow him to give a speech covered by the media. His participation at convention is a sign of his willingness to engage with voters. And he has clearly detailed his record and experience in office.

But the fact that he is on the GOP primary ballot proves the GOP's claim that its ballot is now open to anyone, including Democrats. Curtis was a registered Democrat in 2000, and draws much of his support from Democrats in Utah County. (To be fair, a Utah County Democrat is likely a California Republican.)

Political newcomer Tanner Ainge, on the other hand, chose only the signature path. Ainge is the son of former Celtics player-turned-general manager Danny Ainge. I have yet to see a description of Tanner that does not refer to his father.

Ainge is the epitome of everything the GOP said would happen if SB54 became law: a rich candidate with a famous last name hired a professional signature-gathering company to impersonally collect signatures. Ainge has no information about his positions on his website other than his general tagline that he believes in "economic growth, innovation, fiscal responsibility and limited government principles." It's a glaring omission on his part. Even the Boston Globe noticed Ainge's lack of positions or platform.

Federal Election Commission financial disclosures aren't available yet, so there are no records detailing how much candidates have spent and how their chosen path affected their donations and expenditures. Rumors had Ainge spending $10/signature for exclusivity with the company he hired. That's more than $70,000 just to get on the primary ballot. What money can buy these days.

The GOP should have broadened access to the ballot itself, before Count My Vote, led by a few wealthy, disaffected Utahns, hijacked the process and scared the Legislature into capitulating. But it didn't, and this is what we have: a system where convention candidates describe exactly who they are and what they stand for, and signature candidates use money and optics, and a hope that dad doesn't sign Gordon Hayward to the Celtics. I guess we'll see who Utah Republicans choose.

Today's GOP leaders should set a 30 percent convention threshold to move forward to the primary ballot. That would increase the possibility of a primary ballot of two or three known and vetted candidates.

Unfortunately, though, many Utah GOP leaders think compromise is a swear word.

Michelle Quist Mumford, a Tribune editorial writer, is a recovering attorney, a recovering party officer and a stalwart, yet weary, Utah Republican.

Editor's note • An earlier version of this story misstated the amount that would be required "just to get on the primary ballot."