CLEVELAND — Utah Sen. Mike Lee and other members of the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention were at the center of a contentious floor fight Monday over a last-ditch effort to stop presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Their rebellion was short-lived but offered a dramatic image on live television of the split in the party over the billionaire businessman and reality TV star, even among Utah Republicans.

Quicken Loans Arena erupted into boos and cheers after the attempt to force a roll-call vote on adopting party rules that don't allow delegates to vote their conscience rather than be bound by election results failed.

The rules were quickly adopted on a voice vote after the rules committee chairwoman, former Utah congresswoman Enid Mickelsen, spoke. After a few tense moments, it was announced delegates in three states had withdrawn their support.

Lee, who has not endorsed Trump, also was frustrated after the defeat and told a crush of national and international reporters surrounding him on the convention floor he believed there were still at least the required seven states on board.

Mickelsen later told the Deseret News that the uprising amounted to "a tiny minority" expressing their frustration through "theater," including Virginia delegate Ken Cuccinelli, a Lee ally who threw down his credentials and left the convention.

She said she has never seen "such poor conduct on behalf of people who simply didn't win. I mean, these people did not get their way. Well, Donald Trump wasn't my first choice either."

Utahns need to know this wasn't "some huge nationwide movement," she said, but is being seen as setting up Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the winner of Utah's presidential preference caucus in March, for another run for the GOP nomination in 2020.

There could be more outbursts from anti-Trump forces before the convention ends Thursday night, Mickelsen said.

"Who knows what they'll do? After what I've seen today, nothing will surprise me. Under the rules, it should be the end. But I expect to see more people walk out occasionally. I expect to see some shouting from the floor," she said Monday.

Lee said he couldn't answer whether this was the end of the fight against Trump.

"I can’t speak for them. I don’t know what’s in their hearts or in their heads. What I do know is I would like questions answered. Look, this is about the future of our party. This isn’t about this week or this year," Lee said.

Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka, who helped round up support for what likely would have been a protest vote against Trump, said there were still moves to make.

Ruzicka said Utah and other states have already signed petitions to allow another candidate to be nominated from the floor. While she said Utah's delegation would vote for Cruz, all of the states involved would have to agree.

Hatch weighs in

Earlier Monday, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told the state's delegates at their inaugural breakfast meeting that they need to get behind the party's presumptive nominee.

Hatch told the Deseret News after the floor fight that he was "disappointed" in the actions taken by Utah delegates.

"They have the right to do that, although I would not have done that. I was disappointed, to be frank with you," he said. "We have good people there, but that's going too far."

He said what Republicans "should be fighting for is unity. Now I agree, they’re not happy with Donald Trump. OK, express that. But in all honestly, he’s going to be our nominee and we should get behind him."

Hours before the start of the four-day convention, Hatch told delegates at their breakfast meeting, "I'm counting on you. Let's do what's right here. Let's get behind whoever it is. Let's make this country great again."

The state's senior senator said it was time for them to unite against the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

"I see him growing," Hatch said of Trump, who has met with Senate leaders twice. "He handled himself very, very well. There was no bullying or yelling or screaming or anything."

Hatch said because he expects the next president to appoint at least three and as many as five U.S. Supreme Court justices, Republicans have to support their nominee to keep Clinton out of the White House.

"If Hillary Clinton gets there, this country is going to have a rough time surviving in its current state. In fact, I question whether it can. We simply cannot allow her to win," he said.

"What that means is whoever is our nominee — and right now, the presumptive nominee is Donald Trump — we're going to have to get behind that person. Fight all the way you can, but we've got to."

As much as Trump may irritate some Utahns, Hatch said he has already indicated he will appoint Supreme Court justices "that would meet every one of our needs." A list circulated by Trump included Utah Supreme Court Justice Thomas Lee.

The Utah justice's brother, Sen. Lee, got the most enthusiastic response from the 40 delegates and their alternates, as well as guests including Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes gathered in the hotel's ballroom.

Lee spoke before Hatch, urging the delegates to vote against rules changes intended to stop the last-ditch effort to keep Trump from being nominated by allowing delegates to vote their conscience rather than be bound by election results.

The rules don't serve "the Republican Party well," Lee said, telling the delegates to "stand strong and remember what we stand for."

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox seemingly praised the state's efforts against Trump.

"I've never been more proud of the state than the last six months as we've seen how all this has unfolded, and how the people of Utah have taken a stand to show true leadership to the rest of the country when it comes to politics, it comes to our morals, it comes to our principles," Cox said.

He received applause for thanking Lee for taking a "very valiant" stand on the rules committee.

Neither Cox nor Gov. Gary Herbert signed the petition seeking a roll-call vote, although Rep. Rob Bishop, the only member of Utah's all-GOP congressional delegation attending the convention besides Lee and Hatch, did.

The governor and lieutenant governor are not staying with the Utah delegation in Akron but are at a hotel closer to the convention. Both have a security detail here, even though Cox typically does not.

Contributing: Ladd Egan

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