Richard Lyman drops write-in bid for governor after Phil Lyman files lawsuit

With less than two weeks until Election Day, two write-in candidates – Richard Lyman and his mother Carol Lyman – are abandoning their bid after being sued by write-in candidate Phil Lyman, who claims Gov. Spencer Cox's campaign offered Richard Lyman $1,000 and a takeaway steak dinner.

In a statement from their attorney Mike Green, Richard and Carol Lyman deny that they were offered anything to run for office but that they cannot afford to fight Phil Lyman in court.

“The allegations in this lawsuit are false and we want to make it unequivocally clear that we did nothing wrong and broke no laws,” they said in their statement Friday. “We have every right to run for governor and lieutenant governor and should not have been driven out by people with greater means.”

Cox's campaign declined to comment on Phil Lyman's allegations.

Phil Lyman and his running mate Natalie Clawson sued Richard and Carol Lyman last week, alleging that the Cox campaign illegally enticed Richard to run because voters who wrote only “Lyman” on their ballots would not have their votes counted would. Phil Lyman's lawyers argued that the campaign suffered $1.7 million in damages as a result of the alleged conspiracy.

The lawsuit includes an affidavit from James Newson, an employee of Richard Lyman at a carpentry business. Newson said in early September that Richard Lyman went out to answer a phone call and when he returned he said, “I just talked to the people from the Cox campaign and they're offering me $1,000 and a steak dinner, um.” to join as a write-in candidate for governor just to hurt Phil Lyman's campaign.”

The affidavit includes text messages in which Newson expresses concern that the arrangement may be illegal, and Richard Lyman responds, “No, it's all been sorted out and I've checked.” They set up an account and donate to me , so I can walk, and I’m actually the one signing up to be a registrant.”

Newson suggests recording his conversations and going to Fleming's or Ruth's Chris for steak dinner.

Six days later, Richard Lyman wrote to Newson: “Cox has nothing to do with my campaign. I don’t remember mentioning that, but if I did, I misspoke.”

Phil Lyman said Friday he also reported the allegations to police. Under Utah law, it is illegal to offer anything of value to anyone in exchange for running — or not running — for office.

Green, the attorney for Richard and Carol Lyman, went to the lieutenant governor's office Thursday evening to file paperwork for Richard Lyman's withdrawal.

In their statement Friday, Richard and Carol Lyman said that “a plan was already underway to force us out of the race” before they even filed.

“This plan culminated in a frivolous lawsuit that we simply cannot afford to fight,” their statement said.

But Greg Skordas, a former prosecutor who is now a defense attorney and previously ran for attorney general, said the law makes it illegal to influence another person's decisions to vote or run for office, which Lyman may have done did with his $1.7 million lawsuit.

“Was Phil Lyman’s lawsuit a threat to the other two Lymans’ candidacies for governor?” Skordas asked. “If so, then it definitely worked because the other Lymans have now agreed to drop out of the race.”

Skordas said that “the threat appears to have worked as intended” and it is now up to prosecutors to decide whether it would also violate the law to offer at least part of the lawsuit in exchange for Richard and Carol Lyman's exit from the case to drop races.

Carol Lyman also broke her leg days after knee surgery, which she said also complicated the campaign. Richard Lyman said he has wanted to run for office since he was a teenager and bring attention to homelessness, addiction and mental health in the hopes that Utahns could see a candidate who has overcome these issues and run for governor.

The lawsuit against Richard Lyman is one of several filed by Phil Lyman since he lost the Republican primary to Cox. He recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his argument that Phil Lyman, not Cox, should be the party's nominee because Phil Lyman defeated Cox at the convention.