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Utah Congressional Candidate Chris Stewart Pulls Out Nomination Win as Rivals Unite to Oppose Him

Utah congressional candidate Chris Stewart pulled out a win for the Republican nomination Saturday even as his former rivals united to oppose him.

(Related: ‘Historic Upset’: Orrin Hatch Forced Into Primary Fight After Failing to Secure GOP Nomination)

The small business owner and former Air Force pilot, whom Glenn Beck called a "decent and honorable man" last week, beat out Utah ex-House Speaker David Clark in the Republican race for the state's second district, the Salt Lake Tribune reported:

Eureka Mayor Milt Hanks alleged right before delegates began casting ballots that four contenders had conspired to drop negative information about Stewart -- charges that those candidates denied and claimed was foul play by Stewart’s camp.

"Chris Stewart is a bald-faced liar whether you like it or not," candidate Chuck Williams later alleged at the podium, prompting party officials to temporarily cut his microphone. Williams then withdrew and backed Clark.

Up next, Howard Wallack said that Hanks was a Stewart surrogate and throwing out allegations to gin up support for his friend.

"I know of only one campaign that made negative attacks on any candidates," Wallack said. "We have to take a long look at a candidate who never buys a booth, never makes a sign and all of sudden comes out with a vile attack."

Hanks said after that Clark, Williams, Wallack and another candidate tried to include him in a plan to hit Stewart with negative attacks, the Tribune reported. Afterward, an unsigned note note was circulated among voting delegates tying Stewart to a two-year-old controversial "temple mailer" that attacked ex-Sen. Bob Bennett by linking him to Washington and then-candidate Mike Lee to the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The same note also alleged that Stewart was embellishing his military record.

"It's the same stuff I shoveled off the floor of the chicken coup," Hanks said, according to the newspaper. "Are we back to the hog trough of backroom deals and backstabbing politics?"

For his part, Stewart called the charges in the note offensive and degrading to the political process, saying, "It's just not true."

Despite the attacks, Stewart secured more than 60 percent of the vote, earning him a face-off against Democrat Jay Seegmiller in November.

Watch Beck's discussion with Stewart below:

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