A growing movement of Utah Republicans launched an effort to censure Sen. Mitt Romney for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump in the latest impeachment trial.
The censure petition currently circulating on social media states that Romney failed to “represent the average conservative Utah Republican voter” and “misrepresented himself as a Republican” during his campaign for Senate.
“This is the second time he has betrayed the people of Utah,” GOP activist Janalee Tobias said. “We assumed since he was a Republican presidential candidate, he would be a loyal supporter of President Trump.”
Tobias argued that Romney has not been loyal to the Republican Party and Trump, whom she said is the leader of the party.
“Utah is a red state. We elected Mitt Romney to be a part of the red team,” Tobias said. “Trump is the quarterback of the red team. Romney has decided to play for the blue team, and he should resign.”
But Evan McMullin, a former Republican and frequent Trump critic who ran for president as an independent in 2016, said Utah Republicans should be praising Romney for his actions.
“Mitt has done more to defend the Constitution than any congressional Republican in modern history. He is serving the country and doing more to defend liberty than anyone else,” McMullin said. “We need to stand with him.”
McMullin said Utah, which is typically a deep red state, should take the opportunity to lead in defense of the Constitution instead of expressing loyalty to one party or another.
“There is a tremendous need and opportunity for Utah to lead on this. There are plenty of good Republicans in Utah who are committed to the founding principles of our country, the very same kind of leadership Mitt is offering right now,” McMullin said. “This isn’t about Republicans, Democrats, or independents. It’s about putting the country and Constitution first.”
The state’s GOP leadership is also not behind the effort to censure Romney, instead arguing that it is good that Utah’s Republicans are offering diverse perspectives.
“The differences between our own Utah Republicans showcase a diversity of thought, in contrast to the danger of a party fixated on ‘unanimity of thought,’” the party said in a statement, noting that fellow Utah Sen. Mike Lee voted not to convict Trump. “There is power in our differences as a political party, and we look forward to each senator explaining their votes to the people of Utah.”
Utah Republican Party Chairman Derek Brown said the time to express opposition to Romney’s vote would be when the senator is up for reelection, not with a censure petition.
“I’ve been saying the best censure occurs at the ballot box,” Brown said.
Brown noted that a similar petition circulated after Romney’s previous vote to convict Trump, but it didn’t end up going anywhere.
“There wasn’t enough support to censure Sen. Romney a year ago,” Brown said. “The impact of these kinds of resolutions has been minimal.”
Instead, Brown said his focus will be on growing the party ahead of next year’s midterm election.
“My focus is retaining the people who joined the Utah Republican Party this past year and reaching out to those who have left the party in order to bring them back,” Brown said.
Romney was one of seven Republicans to join all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump. The effort failed, 57-43, needing a two-thirds vote to convict.
Romney’s office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
