Fox’s first – Republican Utah Sen. Mike Kennedy is running in Utah's 3rd Congressional District to replace Republican incumbent John Curtis, who is running to replace Sen. Mitt Romney.
Utah's 3rd District covers part of Salt Lake City and includes the cities of Orem and Provo. The seat was previously held by former Congressman Jason Chafetz until 2017. Curtis won the seat in a special election later that year.
The district is a Republican stronghold. Former President Trump won the district in 2020 with more than 56% of the vote, and Curtis won in 2022 with more than 45%.
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“I come from poverty, a single-parent family, and I got free lunch in high school, but I didn't have anything else,” Kennedy said. “For someone like me to not only have the opportunity to receive a great education, but also to serve the people of the great state of Utah…I am so impressed by the people of the great state of Utah. They are outstanding people.” ”
(Kim Ruff/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kennedy, a family medicine physician and lawyer, ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 against Mitt Romney in the Beehive State. Kennedy received the most votes at the Utah Republican convention, but ultimately lost to Romney in the Republican primary.
During his time in the Utah Senate, Mike Kennedy helped pass legislation to combat COVID-19 mandates and surgeries for transgender minors. (Fox & Friends/Screenshot)
However, Kennedy told FOX News Digital there is no bad blood. President Kennedy said, “Intraparty conflict is more selfish than selfless.'' He also said: “We're willing to work with anyone who has good ideas and who looks to the future and wants to make it better for all of us.”
Current state of the race: The top five Senate seats held by Democrats in 2024 are most likely to flip.
While in the Utah Senate, Kennedy helped pass legislation to combat COVID-19 mandates and surgeries for transgender minors. In the midst of the 2020 pandemic, Kennedy returned to his role as a family physician and spent months caring for patients and conducting his own research on COVID-19.
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“As a physician dealing with the coronavirus crisis and the disease on a regular basis, this situation put me in a very good position,” Kennedy said. “In terms of the response Utah has had to take, we have been able to balance critical issues related to health and life preservation without destroying livelihoods at the same time.”
Roosevelt Mayor Rod Byrd Jr. is also running for Utah's 3rd Congressional District. Former Utah State Representative Chris Herrod and State Auditor John Dougal are considering running. The primary election will be held on June 25th and the general election on November 4th.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
