Utah Sen. Mike Lee. Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Incumbent Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) defeated his GOP challengers Becky Edwards and Ally Isom in Tuesday's Republican primary election for U.S. Senate, AP reports.
Why it matters: Lee, who is seeking his third term in the U.S. Senate, will now move forward to compete against independent candidate Evan McMullin in the general election in November.
So far, Lee has raised nearly $6.5 million for his U.S. Senate campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Background: Support for the Trump-backed Republican was not deterred by unflattering headlines surrounding Lee.
- He received backlash in April after text messages he exchanged with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows outlining tactics to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election were revealed.
Flashback: In a controversial move, the majority of Democratic delegates voted during the Utah Democratic Convention in April to back McMullin, a former 2016 presidential candidate.
- Democrats argued choosing an independent candidate over a Democrat would increase the odds of defeating a Republican in the U.S. Senate race.
- McMullin has raised about $2.7 million, according to the Federal Election Commission.