Utah Rep. John Curtis emerged victorious in the state's Republican Senate primary, prevailing over a contender supported by former President Donald Trump in the contest to fill the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Mitt Romney.
The 64-year-old Curtis secured the win in a competitive four-way primary that included Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who enjoyed the endorsement of Trump and the state Republican Party. Curtis is now poised as the strong favorite in the upcoming November general election in Utah, a deeply conservative state that has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1970.
Despite the departure of anti-Trump figure Romney, Curtis has maintained a measured distance from the former president in a state where extreme conservative candidates have not always found success in GOP primaries. While Curtis did not support Trump during the recent Republican presidential primary, he aligned with Trump on many votes during the former president's term in office.
Curtis, who founded and chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus in Washington, is known for his innovative approach to engaging with constituents. He regularly organizes 'hiking town hall' events, inviting voters to converse with him while exploring Utah's picturesque landscapes.
Trump threw his weight behind Staggs in April, just after the mayor secured a spot on the primary ballot by besting Curtis at the state party convention. However, such endorsements at party conventions often cater to staunch party loyalists and may not always translate to success in broader primary elections, where a more diverse range of Republican voters participate. (Curtis qualified for the primary ballot through signature collection.)
Staggs, who emphasized his opposition to Covid-19 restrictions during his tenure as Riverton's mayor, shared a video on social media recently in which Trump praised him as 'a fantastic person running for the seat of one of the worst senators in the history of the Republican Party, Mitt Romney.'
Despite the endorsement, Trump acknowledged that Staggs faced an uphill battle in the primary race.
Curtis entered Congress in 2017 after winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant by former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Prior to his congressional tenure, Curtis served as the mayor of Provo, Utah's fourth most populous city.
