Trump, Lee, Owens endorse Robert Axson in race for Utah Republican Party chair

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — President Donald Trump officially weighed in on Utah’s race for chair of the state’s Republican Party on Thursday, endorsing incumbent Robert Axson in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Axson, who is running to retain his seat against former Representative and gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman, has served as Chairman of the Utah Republican Party since 2023. In his endorsement, Trump said Republicans in the Beehive State have the opportunity to re-elect a “fantastic Chairman.”

“Robert Axson has dedicated his life to the Republican Party and the Great State of Utah. He is Strongly Supported by many, including Highly Respected Senator Mike Lee and Governor Spencer Cox. Robert Axson has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Chairman of the Utah Republican Party [sic.],” Trump wrote, adding in all capital letters that Axon will “never let you down.”

Utah Sen. Mike Lee said he stood with the President in a post on X, emphasizing the Utah GOP needed to re-elect Axson as chairman.

“Rob Axson is not only one of the most effective state party chairmen we’ve ever had in Utah, but he’s also one of the best in the entire country,” wrote Lee. “He’s uniformly respected and admired as a member of the RNC. He’s an unusually dedicated, talented, and energetic person I’ve known and worked closely with him throughout the last 16 years, and he’s one of the most decent people I’ve ever known.”

Rep. Burgess Owens also commented on Trump’s endorsement, saying he was “100% correct,” adding that Axson has his full endorsement.

Phil Lyman responded to the endorsements for his opponent in his own post on X, saying, “MAGA is about America.”

“My support for Donald Trump is not contingent on his support for me. We have work to do,” Lyman wrote before taking a jab at his former gubernatorial opponent, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, by calling him a cheater.

While Axson has not yet commented on his recent endorsements, ABC4’s Chief Political Correspondent Lindsay Aerts sat down with him on Inside Utah Politics, along with Convention Chair Thomas Wright, to break down the race and his proposal to strip party membership from candidates who gather signatures to get on the ballot. That conversation can be watched live on Sunday, May 11, on ABC4.

“What’s at stake (in the chair’s race)? In my opinion, (it’s) really what’s the direction that we’re going?” Axson said. “Are we building a party that will be relevant for years to come that will impact generations?”

Axson argued that so-called party “purity tests” are counterproductive to that goal.

“I believe the Republican party can help deliver on that…to rescue our future, we have to grow that apparatus, we have to build the relevance. We can’t be doing purity tests, we can’t be limiting the size and impact of what the party can do, and so that’s the case that I’m trying to bring the delegates of Utah.”

Utah’s Republican Party delegates will elect a Chairman during the upcoming Republican State Convention on Saturday, May 17, at the UCCU Center in Orem.