The number of Republican contenders in the race for the 1st District U.S. House seat is down to three — incumbent Blake Moore, Andrew Badger and Tina Cannon. With Saturday’s Utah Republican Party convention now in the rearview mirror, their focus becomes the June 28 primary.

Badger, who came out on top at the convention, garnering 59.3% support to 40.7% for Moore, plans to focus on his conservative message. Cannon was eliminated in the second round of voting by GOP delegates but, like Moore, secured a place on the primary ballot via collection of signatures on petitions.

GOP voters want “a strong conservative who’s not aligned with (U.S. Rep.) Liz Cheney, who’s going to fight back, who’s going to fight for conservative values,” Badger, from Summit Park, said Monday. Among other things, he singled out Moore’s vote last May against House GOP efforts, which ultimately prevailed, to oust Cheney from her House GOP leadership post, as reported by the Deseret News. Cheney, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, is reviled by some conservatives.

In a statement, Moore’s campaign cited what it said was the Salt Lake City incumbent’s broad appeal. Moore, in his first term, was elected to the House in 2020 after U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, who held the seat for nine terms, decided not to seek reelection.

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“Blake Moore is the only primary candidate who made the ballot through both broad support from delegates at Utah’s Republican Convention as well as raising 7,000 signatures, demonstrating his wide appeal as a strong and effective conservative representing Utah’s 1st District,” said the Moore campaign statement. Per GOP party rules, both Badger and Moore get on the ballot via the convention since both garnered between 40% and 60% support.

Cannon, who has lived in many parts of the district, cited her roots in Northern Utah. She currently lives in Morgan and, among other roles, served two terms on the Morgan County Council and has held numerous advisory posts in the Wasatch Front Regional Council, which helps guide development and growth in the area.

“I know the district and I can serve it the best because I’ve actually lived 54 years in it,” Cannon said. Moore, though he grew up in Ogden, now lives outside the district while Badger, though his Utah roots are deep, only recently moved to the district.

The GOP delegates — typically among the most diehard of Republicans — aren’t necessarily reflective of broader GOP sentiment across the district, Cannon went on, potentially boding for a different outcome on June 28. “I think we’re going to find out in the primary if that’s true,” she went on.

The GOPers eliminated from contention Saturday are William Campbell and Julie Fullmer. Rick Jones of West Haven is the sole Democratic candidate and, as such, makes it to the November general election ballot.

The 1st District in its new configuration per redistricting maps approved by Utah lawmakers last year, covers Weber, Box Elder, Cache, Rich and Morgan counties and parts of Davis, Salt Lake and Summit counties.

MORE ON THE THREE GOPers

Badger, speaking Monday, put a big focus on Moore’s decisions as a lawmaker that run contrary to the more conservative elements of the Republican Party.

Aside from the vote on Cheney, he singled out Moore’s May 19, 2021, vote in favor of creating the commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The measure passed the House 252-175, with Moore joining 34 other GOPers who voted for it. All Democrats voted for it while 175 GOPers opposed it.

Badger also cited Moore’s support for a measure backed by eight other GOP lawmakers to censure Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The GOP proposal, which never gained traction, emerged in the wake of the second House vote to impeach Trump on Jan. 13, 2021, which Moore opposed.

The push to impeach, Moore said in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, violence “is rushed.” At the same time, though, he said Trump needs to be investigated “to the level that he was involved.”

Aside from those votes, Badger also said he’s more in tune with “grassroots” GOPers. “This is an election between a grassroots candidate supported by the base and someone supported by the establishment,” he said.

Beyond that, Badger said he would serve as a more aggressive counterpoint to the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

The Moore campaign, for its part, said the incumbent is focused on results. “His candidacy is grounded in substance over artistry and he is laser-focused on delivering results for northern Utah; he continues to communicate his aspirational, pro-growth vision for our country as the primary election approaches,” said the Moore campaign statement.

Cannon wants voters to do their homework, to learn about the three GOP hopefuls. “I would encourage Northern Utah to look us all up and judge us on the record,” she said.

In emphasizing her years living in Northern Utah, she contrasted her roots with the ties to the area of Moore and Badger.

“I’m the only one who’s voted in the 1st Congressional District,” said Cannon. That sort of connection “matters to me. I think it matters to Northern Utah.”

Others, likewise, bring up Moore’s residency outside the district. “I hear it quite a bit,” she said.

Badger said he’s now registered to the vote in the 1st District, though he hasn’t yet voted in it. But he noted that he’s a fifth-generation Utahn descended from some of the original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pioneers who settled the state.

The Moore campaign — which has emphasized the incumbent’s frequent travels through the district — didn’t respond to a query from the Standard-Examiner on the residency question. Federal law only says U.S. representatives must be from the state they represent, but not necessarily the district they serve.

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct the city where Badger lives, Summit Park.