Chia-Chi Teng’s statement on GOP state convention results
Teng outperforms expectations against Chaffetz at GOP convention.
Salt Lake City, Utah - April 23, 2016 — In a two-man race, Chia-Chi Teng received 35.73% of the delegate vote against Congressman Jason Chaffetz at the Utah Republican Party’s State Nominating Convention, where 1016 state delegates cast their votes. Teng now faces Chaffetz in the June 28 Primary, based on collecting 7,000 nominating signatures from voters in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District.
“I’m thrilled with the results. The convention is Mr. Chaffetz’s home turf; he absolutely needed to do better. If I can get 36% here, then I expect to win a majority in June when women and younger voters are better represented,” said Chia-Chi Teng, a Republican and first-time candidate challenging Mr. Chaffetz for Congress. “Only 20% of the state delegates are women, far less that the 52% that will be voting in the June Primary.”
In 2014, Chaffetz took 87% of the vote at the GOP nominating convention against two other candidates. This year voters gave him 64%, which is a 23-point drop in two years.
“For many of the delegates, this was the first time they had heard me speak. Clearly, my message really hit home. To get 36% among this group shows real softness in Mr. Chaffetz’s support. His support is a mile wide but only an inch deep.
“Utahns want their congressman to hold the line on spending and get a balanced budget agreement, but Mr. Chaffetz has voted for trillion dollar spending bills - spending more than we can afford - and, as a result, the debt has almost doubled to $19 trillion since he was first elected.
“We expect the next publicly released poll to show we have some work to do, but as the voters become more informed and get to know me, the numbers will change - just as they did with the delegates. I’ve already started advertising on the radio, and with 7,000 nominating signatures, we have a strong grassroots network that will push us over the top in June.
“This election isn’t over; it has only just begun, but as of right now, we’re liking our chances,” said Teng.
The Utah Republican Primary is Tuesday, June 28. The race between Teng and Chaffetz is a closed primary, meaning only Republican voters may vote in it.
