The Latest: Curtis wins GOP primary for US House seat

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Latest on the Republican primary race to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

A popular mayor has won Utah’s Republican primary to become the overwhelming favorite to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Jason Chaffetz.

John Curtis of Provo on Tuesday defeated former state lawmaker Chris Herrod and business consultant Tanner Ainge, son of Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge.

Curtis was endorsed by Utah’s Republican governor but faced criticism and suspicion from other party members for having once been a Democratic candidate and party officer.

In the November special election to fill the seat, he faces Democratic physician Kathie Allen and third-party candidate Jim Bennett, son of the late GOP Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah.

Chaffetz held Utah’s Republican-heavy 3rd Congressional District seat for eight years before making a surprise announcement this summer that he was resigning to spend more time with his family.

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9:10 p.m.

Utah business consultant Tanner Ainge is conceding in a three-way race GOP primary race to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Jason Chaffetz.

Early results Tuesday night showed Provo Mayor John Curtis leading the race, former state lawmaker Chris Herrod in second and Ainge in third.

Ainge, the son of Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge, said he called Curtis to concede and congratulate him.

The winner of Tuesday’s race is expected to be a heavy favorite for November’s general election because Republicans outnumber Democrats 5-to-1 in the district. November’s winner will serve the remaining year of Chaffetz’s term.

Chaffetz represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District for eight years before abruptly resigning in June.

Moderate Utah Republicans threw their support behind Curtis.

Those further to the right split their support behind Herrod and Ainge.

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8:45 p.m.

Early returns in a Utah GOP primary race to replace former Rep. Jason Chaffetz in Congress show Provo Mayor John Curtis with an initial lead.

Curtis was leading by a comfortable margin over former state lawmaker Chris Herrod and political newcomer Tanner Ainge in the first batch of election results after the polls closed at 8 p.m.

Chaffetz represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District for eight years before abruptly resigning in June.

Moderate Utah Republicans threw their support behind Curtis.

Those further to the right split their support behind Herrod, known for his strict immigration positions, and Ainge, a business consultant and son of Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge.

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8:05 p.m.

Polls have closed in Utah where Republican voters are choosing between three candidates hoping to replace former Rep. Jason Chaffetz in Congress.

The winner of Tuesday’s race is expected to be a heavy favorite for November’s general election. Republicans outnumber Democrats five-to-one in the district.

Chaffetz abruptly resigned from the seat in June, citing a desire to be with his family.

Moderate Utah Republicans threw their support behind a popular mayor, John Curtis.

Those further to the right split their support behind Chris Herrod, a former state lawmaker known for strict immigration positions, and Tanner Ainge, a business consultant, first-time candidate and son of Boston Celtics President Danny Ainge.

Utah elections officials said turnout was light Tuesday in Utah’s 3rd District, but that was expected because five of its seven counties offered mail-in voting.

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5:45 p.m.

Activity at Utah polling places in the GOP primary race to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz has been slow.

Elections director Mark Thomas said Tuesday evening that polling places haven’t been very busy.

“It’s not dead, but it’s slow,” Thomas said. “It’s hard to know if that’s because they mailed it in.”

Five of the seven counties offer mail-in voting in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from the Salt Lake City suburbs and several ski towns southeast to Provo and Utah coal country.

Thomas said that as of Tuesday morning, about 22 percent of registered Republican voters had cast early ballots in the three-candidate GOP primary. That number was expected to rise as people went to the polls Tuesday.

Voter turnout was about 33 percent during last year’s primary election in the heavily Republican district.

Two counties have reported problems with GOP-primary ballots going to unaffiliated voters. Election officials have worked to fix the problem by telling unaffiliated voters that they can vote in the primary if they come to the polls and register as Republicans on Election Day.

They also say unaffiliated votes for Republican candidates won’t be counted.

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5 p.m.

Linda Spencer of Orem is voting for Chris Herrod to fill the congressional seat vacated by Jason Chaffetz because she likes his voting record while he was in the state legislature from 2007-2012.

“I want somebody who lived in Utah, who represents Utah and votes constitutionally,” Spencer said.

The 58-year-old Spencer says she doesn’t like John Curtis’ Democratic past, how he ran the city of Provo and his personality.

She says Ainge hasn’t lived in Utah long enough to understand the culture. It doesn’t help that she has less than pleasant memories of when his father played basketball for Brigham Young University nearly four decades ago.

“He was such a crybaby on the BYU basketball team,” said Spencer about Danny Ainge.

The winner of Tuesday’s GOP primary is expected to cruise to victory in November’s special election in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats five-to-one.

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4 p.m.

Utah pharmaceutical representative David Nelson came away impressed with political newcomer Tanner Ainge after watching him closely on the campaign trail in the race to fill the congressional seat vacated by Republican Jason Chaffetz.

Nelson liked his business acumen, his command of the issues and his understanding about what Utah residents are facing.

“We’re a conservative state, and I think Tanner has shown that he’s a true conservative,” said Nelson, of Salem, Utah. “You don’t have to be a seasoned politician ... I think you’re qualified by being passionate, you know the issues.”

Nelson says he didn’t like Curtis because he was previously a Democrat.

The winner of Tuesday’s GOP primary is expected to cruise to victory in November’s special election in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats five-to-one.

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1:20 p.m.

Utah voter David Muir says he cast his ballot for popular Provo Mayor John Curtis in the Republican primary to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz because Curtis has experience making important decisions that matter in people’s everyday lives.

Muir, the city treasurer for the Salt Lake City suburb of Cottonwood Heights, says he’s not worried about Curtis’ Democratic past that led his critics and opponents to question his conservative credentials.

“There are a lot of good Democrats in the past,” said Muir, a longtime Republican. “The person is more important and their character.”

The 58-year-old Muir says Ainge is too young and hasn’t lived in Utah long enough, and Herrod seems a little bit too conservative.

The winner of Tuesday’s GOP primary is expected to cruise to victory in November’s special election in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats five-to-one.

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11 a.m.

Utah election officials say about 22 percent of registered Republican voters have cast early ballots in the three-candidate GOP primary race to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

Elections director Mark Thomas said that number is expected to rise as people go to the polls to vote Tuesday.

Voter turnout was about 33 percent during last year’s primary election in the heavily Republican district.

The race marks a switch to mail-in voting. Two counties have reported problems with GOP-primary ballots going to unaffiliated voters.

Election officials have worked to fix the problem by telling unaffiliated voters that they can vote in the primary if they come to the polls and register as Republicans on Election Day.

They also say unaffiliated votes for Republican candidates won’t be counted.

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9:30 a.m.

Polls are open for Utah voters picking a Republican candidate in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

GOP voters will choose one of three candidates Tuesday: Popular mayor John Curtis, former state lawmaker Chris Herrod or newcomer Tanner Ainge, son of Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge.

The winner of Tuesday’s race will be the odds-on favorite to win the November general election in the heavily Republican district.

Curtis is generally favored by more moderate Utah Republicans, while Herrod is known for strict immigration positions and Ainge has touted his business experience.

The race has brought nearly $1 million in spending from out-of-state organizations and superPACs on top of $600,000 in contributions to the candidates.

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6 a.m.

Three GOP candidates hoping to replace Jason Chaffetz in Congress face off in a primary election Tuesday.

Chaffetz abruptly stepped down in June, leaving a vacancy in the heavily Republican 3rd Congressional District.

The winner of Tuesday’s race is expected to win the general election in November.

Moderate Utah Republicans have backed a popular mayor, John Curtis.

Those further to the right have split their support behind Chris Herrod, a former state lawmaker known for strict immigration positions, and Tanner Ainge, a business consultant, first-time candidate and son of Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge.

So far, out-of-state organizations and superPACs have spent about $900,000 — on top of about $600,000 in campaign contributions collected by the three Republican candidates.