Blog Briefing Room

Utah governor to face primary battle

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is now facing a primary challenge to keep his seat after falling short on votes at the state’s Republican convention Saturday.

{mosads}Jonathan Johnson, chairman of online retailer Overstock.com, won 55 percent of the vote in two rounds of voting at the convention, McClatchy reports.

A 60 percent win is needed to secure the Republican Party’s nomination for governor outright.

Johnson bashed Herbert for using a new method to secure himself a spot on the primary ballot by collecting signatures.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Michael Weinholtz, a former staffing company executive.