Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) received the Utah Senate GOP main on Tuesday, making him the odds-all-favorite to succeed retiring Sen. Mitt Romney subsequent 12 months.
Curtis, a three-term congressman and former mayor of Provo, Utah, defeated three different candidates, together with Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who was backed by former President Donald Trump.
Staggs touted his Trump endorsement within the closing days of the race by claiming {that a} Curtis election would imply a “continuation of Mitt Romney” within the Senate. He mentioned that Utah deserved a senator who would get together with the previous president who’s operating for one more time period within the White Home.
Curtis mentioned Trump bore duty for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and didn’t again him in the course of the presidential main earlier this 12 months. His spouse was additionally a supporter of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) earlier than she dropped out and endorsed Trump.
Invoice Clark by way of Getty Photographs
Nonetheless, the 64-year-old congressman continues to be deeply conservative and aligns with Trump on most points. The one exception appears to be his give attention to combating the dangerous results of local weather change like drought and wildfires, an enormous situation in his Western state.
Curtis was elected to Congress in 2017 after then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), retired halfway by means of his time period and have become a contributor for Fox Information.
Tuesday’s main election marks yet one more setback for Trump in Utah, which appears to be on an island within the broader Republican Get together that has totally backed Trump and his MAGA agenda. The state’s governor, Spencer Cox, equally has a strained relationship with Trump.
Romney, a uncommon GOP critic of Trump who twice voted to question the previous president, introduced earlier this 12 months he was stepping right down to spend extra time together with his household and want to not serve into his 80s. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee and former governor of Massachusetts congratulated Curtis on his victory on Tuesday, calling him “a man of honor and integrity who cares deeply about our fellow citizens and the future of our country. We need more leaders like him.”
Utah has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970. Curtis is slated to face Democrat Caroline Gleich in November.
