Morgan Philpot | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theUtah House of Representatives from the 45th district | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – September 30, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Melvin R. Brown[1] |
| Succeeded by | Mark W. Walker[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jay Morgan Philpot[3] (1971-07-30)July 30, 1971 (age 54) Molalla, Oregon, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Natalie |
| Residence | Utah |
| Education | University of Utah (1988) Ave Maria School of Law (2007) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Jay Morgan Philpot (born July 30, 1971) is an American attorney andRepublican Party politician. He was a member of theUtah House of Representatives from 2001 to 2004, representing District 45 inSalt Lake County from 2001 to 2004. He was vice-chair of theUtah Republican Party from 2009 and 2010. Philpot was the 2010 Republican nominee forUtah's 2nd congressional district, losing to DemocratJim Matheson. He unsuccessfully ran forgovernor of Utah in 2012 andUtah State Senate in 2016.
Philpot is a native ofMolalla, Oregon.[4] While attending the University of Utah, he interned at the White House in 1997.
Having participated in Utah's caucus/convention system as a precinct chair, state delegate, and county delegate, he successfully ran for a seat in theUtah House of Representatives in 2000. He took office in 2001, and was re-elected in 2002. Just before the end of his second term, he resigned his seat in order to attendAve Maria School of Law inAnn Arbor, Michigan.
Upon graduation in 2007, he returned toUtah where he worked for the Utah Attorney General's office before accepting a position as the General Counsel and Government Affairs director for Reagan Outdoor Advertising.
In early 2009, Philpot declared his intention to run against the incumbent vice-chair of the state Republican party. He claimed victory with 52% of the vote. While in office, he helped to create a Web Communications committee, which dramatically increased the party's digital engagement.
Philpot resigned asUtah Republican Party vice-chair, effective January 23, 2010, and announced his intention to run forUtah's 2nd congressional district in the2010 election, challenging incumbent DemocratJim Matheson.[5] In the November 2010 election, Matheson defeated Philpot,[6] 50.49%to 46.06%.[7]
In December 2011, Philpot announced his plans to run forgovernor of Utah in the2012 election, challenging incumbent Republican GovernorGary Herbert.[8] Philpot said his chief issues included challenging thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and federal involvement in education.[8] Philpot said that if he were elected he would aggressively confront theU.S. federal government, deeming the federal government an "over-reaching tyrant" and theObama administration as "socialist."[9] He said that Utah should attempt to "nullify" the ACA and should seek to block federaleminent domain of lands, even if it meant risking arrest.[10] He criticized Herbert for aligning Utah with theCommon Core standards, and framed the standards as an infringement of Utah's sovereignty.[11] At the Utah state Republican Convention in 2012, challengers to Herbert included Philpot, Republican state representativeKen Sumsion, David Kirkham, William Skokos, and Lane Ronnow. Herbert and Philpot advanced to a second ballot, where Herbert won with 63% to Philpot's 23%.[11]
In 2016, Philpot ran forUtah State Senate for aUtah County seat; he was defeated byDan Hemmert.[12]
Philpot became the lawyer forAmmon Bundy in May 2016, defending Bundy on federal criminal charges arising from the 2016occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.[13] Ammon Bundy was acquitted in October 2016, following ajury trial.[14]
Philpot also represents Jeanette Finicum, the wife ofRobert LaVoy Finicum, in herwrongful death suit against the U.S. government.[15] LaVoy Finicum, an Arizona rancher, was the spokesman for a group of armed militants during the Malheur NWR occupation in 2016. He was fatally shot by Oregon state troopers after he crashed hispickup truck near a roadblock while state troopers and FBI agents arrested the militants. Finicum was armed with a loaded9 mm handgun; he was killed after he walked away from his truck and reached for the inner pocket of his jacket.[15] An investigation by local law enforcement found the shooting to bejustified.[15] The bulk of Jeanette Finicum's claims were dismissed in 2021.[15]
Morgan lives in Alpine, Utah with his wife, Natalie, and their five children. In February 2012, Philpot walked away uninjured after a crash sent him and two campaign staffers down a 100-foot embankment.[16][17]