A federal judge ordered Utah election officials on Wednesday to include the new United Utah Party and its candidate Jim Bennett on the ballot in the November special election to replace former Rep. Jason Chaffetz.
“The state’s interests do not require or justify effectively barring UUP and its candidate, Mr. Bennett, from participating in the special election as a new political party,” U.S. District Court Judge David Nuffer wrote in an order released Wednesday.
The office of Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox initially had refused to allow Bennett on the ballot because the UUP had not qualified as an official party before the filing deadline for candidates — but the party finally met the last of those qualifications earlier this week.