When Lee pivoted to Trump’s corner, many Utah Republicans held their noses at what seemed to be a purely political shift. In the predominantly Latter-day Saint state, Trump had never been as popular as in other conservative-minded states. Trump’s brashness, promiscuity and rhetoric on immigration tarnished him in the eyes of many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — in 2016, Trump fared worse in Utah than any other red state.
While Utahns warmed up considerably toward Trump after his election, it was not enough to overcome one of Lee’s Trump-related transgressions — his seeming use of his Latter-day Saint faith as a justification for his support…
Lee’s relationship with Trump isn’t the sole issue in the primary. Many Utahns remain averse to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party in general. Lee’s challengers have also targeted his so-called obstructionism. Those in Lee’s inner circle praise his willingness to be a human barricade against “bad legislation,” but his opponents frame it as an unwillingness to govern.
Lee was the only senator to vote against bills speeding up ALS insurance benefits and creating museums for Latinos and women. Most recently, Lee was the lone senator to oppose the formation of a national historic site at the location of a Japanese internment camp in Colorado. Lee’s communications director told the Associated Press that the senator’s objection was not of the site itself, but of “any increase” of federally owned lands.
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