GOP gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman blames Baltimore bridge collapse on range

Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, on the Capitol in Salt Lake Metropolis Jan. 16. Lyman, who’s working for Utah governor, on Tuesday stated a concentrate on range is guilty for the collapse of a Baltimore bridge. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret Information)

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SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmaker and Utah gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman stated the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore is the results of “governors who prioritize range,” in an announcement on social media Tuesday morning.

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a container ship that misplaced energy. Two individuals believed to be on the bridge when it collapsed have been rescued, and officers consider six others are nonetheless unaccounted for.

Lyman, a Blanding Republican who’s difficult Gov. Spencer Cox for the GOP nomination for governor, responded by sharing a sequence of posts on X, that insinuate so-called range, fairness and inclusion insurance policies are guilty for the catastrophe.

“That is what occurs when you’ve gotten governors who prioritize range over the wellbeing and safety of residents,” Lyman stated in a submit.

That is what occurs when you’ve gotten Governors who prioritize range over the wellbeing and safety of residents. https://t.co/lSU0RDUIi7

— Phil Lyman for Governor (@phil_lyman) March 26, 2024

In a subsequent submit he added: “DEI = DIE.”

The posts Lyman shared are from the Younger Conservative Federation and spotlight the biographies of three of the commissioners of the six-member Maryland Port Fee, two of whom are individuals of colour. The Younger Conservative Federation described Karenthia A. Barber as somebody who “is aware of nothing about Ports, however she is a ‘range, fairness, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) auditor and marketing consultant'” and referred to as Sandy A. Roberts “an legal professional who, on the time of his appointment, ‘usually knew some marine regulation.'”

“Actually per week in the past, the Port of Baltimore put out a video for Ladies’s Historical past Month which celebrated Ladies breaking into the ‘Male Dominated area of Piloting,'” the group stated in an earlier submit.

In line with the Maryland Division of Transportation, the Maryland Port Fee “establishes insurance policies directed towards bettering the aggressive place of the Port of Baltimore inside the worldwide maritime business.”

Cox, who’s in search of reelection as governor this yr, responded to the collapse on X, saying: “Horrible information out of Maryland this morning. Our prayers are with everybody affected by this tragedy.”

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