GOP state delegate asked to resign after appearing in ad against Sen. Mike Lee
Nov 3, 2022, 6:27 PM | Updated: Nov 4, 2022, 3:24 pm
BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — A Tremonton woman featured in an ad against Sen. Mike Lee said she’s been asked to resign as a Republican state delegate.
Andrea Miller said she won’t be resigning because she doesn’t believe she broke any party rules.
“I am so disappointed. I won’t be resigning,” she told KSL. “I was voted in and I signed saying I would do a two-year term and I don’t see any reason for me to resign. I’m not breaking any of the rules.”
On TikTok, Miller shared her experience of receiving the email from her precinct chairperson.
“He says and I quote: ‘Although you are free to support anyone you wish it is a conflict of interest with this position as a Republican precinct representative,’” Miller said in the social media post.
The email, which Miller shared with KSL, said precinct members asked for Miller’s resignation because she’s publicly supporting independent candidate Evan McMullin.
“If I was paid person or a state party officer or nationally committee member then I couldn’t publically oppose Mike Lee. But, I’m not,” Miller added on TikTok.
Box Elder Republican Party Chairman Dale Millsap said he searched bylaws for both the county party and the state GOP.
“I don’t find any language within any of those governing documents of our party that require that somebody express public support for the party candidate,” he told KSL.
Further, Millsap said he, as the chairman, does not expect “party purity” either.
“I believe in the principles of the party but I don’t think principles of the party demand that we expect this kind of purity from somebody who’s a delegate,” Millsap said.
Millsap added that he hopes there can be more talking between people who disagree and that he planned to reach out to Miller and the precinct chairperson who wrote the email and talk things through.
“To demand that you come along to my way of thinking isn’t typically a good way to win hearts and influence people,” Millsap added.
Miller said she emailed back a response on Thursday saying that she won’t be stepping down.
“I think a lot of the Republican Party right now thinks you have to fall in line or get out and I don’t think that’s how it needs to be,” Miller said.
