Goud Maragani loses at convention

Former Utah Log Cabin Republicans president Goud Maragani lost in his bid to represent Utah’s House District 48 with just under 17 percent of the vote at the Salt Lake County Republican Nominating Convention. His opponent, Doug Fiefia, earned 83 percent of the vote.

“Well that was lots of fun,” Maragani wrote on X. “I won’t be your #district48 rep this cycle but we have lots of work to do in Salt Lake County and across the state of #Utah! I’ll continue to mobilize & empower the grassroots, work with great legislators, & achieve meaningful success!”

Maragani now runs the Utah GayStraight Coalition after the national Log Cabin Republicans group dissolved the Utah affiliate’s charter, citing “a series of serious violations of the terms of [Log Cabin Republicans] Chapter Qualification Agreement.”

Maragani blames Salt Lake County Council Member Aimee Winder Newton and Utah Sen. Todd Weiler, among others, for the group’s dissolution. He proposed a resolution to censure Winder Newton with the Utah Republican State Central Committee for associating and asking for (and receiving) Utah’s LGBTQ political group Equality Utah. He said the group promotes “sex reassignment surgeries to minors,” “pornographic books in schools,” and “sexually explicit performances in front of children,” among other things. His resolution also said that Equality Utah “undermines our [Republican] Party, our values, and our candidates for public office.”

The Salt Lake Tribune reported last year that Maragani, himself, sought Equality Utah’s endorsement and attended their annual fundraiser.

A recent X post reply to a user who called him “exhausting,” Maragani wrote that the user supported “anti-family, pro-trans-ing children @ EqualityUtah” and took the time “to attack the most prominent gay conservative in the [Utah Republican party].”

The group, and Maragani, are adamantly anti-transgender and supported any and all bills that restrict transgender women from women’s restrooms and women’s sports.

“The @UtahDemocrats want men with penises (who are pretending to be women) using bathrooms and locker rooms with your daughters, wives, sisters & mothers. They’ll sacrifice your daughter’s safety for men with mental health problems & a front row seat,” Maragani tweeted during the Utah Legislative Session.

As leader of Utah Log Cabin Republicans and Utah Gay-Straight Alliance, Maragani regularly invited ultra-conservative leaders to group meetings, including Reps. Trevor Lee and Phil Lyman, Monica Wilbur, and disgraced Utah State School Board member Natalie Cline, who also lost in the convention.

Maragani has also gone against Utah’s LGBTQ community when he called for the Salt Lake County Council to reject Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson’s budget in part because it included money for The Utah AIDS Foundation’s new health clinic, UAF Legacy Health.

“To date, no one has provided evidence showing that this facility will fulfill an unmet need in Salt Lake County that is not already being provided or could be provided by the County Health Department or another organization. Without that evidence, we cannot support this proposal,” Maragani wrote on behalf of Utah Log Cabin Republicans.

Maragani spent $2,858.88 of his own money and received one donation of $100 from Utah State School Board member Christina Boggess. He also received an inkind donation for “website, email, video editing.” He tweeted that he was the “true fiscal conservative” in the race because he spent only $26 per delegate for his campaign, while his opponent, Fiefia, spent “more than ten times” per delegate.

Maragani doubles down

If anyone wondered if Maragani would back off on personal attacks after the heavy loss of his campaign, Maragani took to Twitter to attack Riverton City Council member Andy Pierucci, who posted being in favor of Israel. Maragani wrote to Pierucci that “if you’re going to keep promoting wars, you need to join the military. Just a reminder: There’s a physical fitness test & height-weight standards required to join. Let me know if you want a little help with that,” insinuating that Pierucci is too overweight for the military.

Andy Pierucci is the husband of Rep. Candice Pierucci, who is a frequent target of Maragani on X. “Goud, you are an absolute asshole and sore loser. You have come after my family one too many times,” Candice Pierucci posted. “You are a toxic parasite and I’m glad the delegates saw through your lies and sent you packing.”

Maragani responded that her post was racist, as he is a “gay racial minority.”

The response from GOP leaders and other X users was strong and swift.

Salt Lake County Republican Chair Chris Null, who has been a supporter of Maragani, wrote, “Goud your reaction is excessive. @andypierucciUT and @ CandicePierucci are good people. Time to take a breath and reevaluate.”

KSL reporter Lindsay Aerts wrote, “this is a new low, even for you @goud4utah.”

He also went on to repeat attacks on Rep. Kera Birks, Equality Utah, Troy Williams, and called transgender activist Sue Robbins “a boy named Sue.”