Mayor Trent Staggs, one of several candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Utah’s Senate seat soon to be vacated by retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, is challenging his main opponents to seek a new Senate seat if he wins. He called on Republican leaders to commit to taking office.
Mr. Staggs was defeated this week by his main rivals, Rep. John Curtis, Rep. Jeremy Friedbaum, Rep. Brent Hatch, Rep. Brian Jenkins, Rep. Carolyn Phippen, Rep. Josh Randall, and Rep. Chandler Tanner. I will be emailing members of Congress, Sen. Jason Walton and Rep. Clark White, encouraging them to sign the no vote pledge. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), a longtime senator currently serving his seventh term, will become Senate Republican leader from 2025 onwards. The pledge suggests Mr. McConnell has abdicated his legislative responsibility for “constitutionally mandated federalism” and “implementation of conservative policies.”
“We believe the time is right to elect America First leaders who are committed to limiting the power of the federal government.” pledge To read. Candidates who sign this document therefore pledge to support “new leadership” and not support Mr. McConnell as “Senate majority or minority leader.”
Screenshot of the pledge sent to Blaze News
As expected, Mr. Staggs, the mayor of Riverton, Utah, has already signed the pledge, insisting that candidates should make their “positions” clear on issues of party leadership.
“The establishment in Washington has failed us, and Utah deserves a senator who is willing to push back against the establishment and get things done,” Staggs said in a statement to Blaze News. “I am asking all candidates in Utah to come together and commit not to supporting Mr. McConnell, but to supporting an America First leader who believes in the principles of federalism. We have a duty to let voters know where we stand.”
But it remains unclear whether any of his main opponents will agree to that. Blaze News contacted each of the candidates named in the pledge and asked whether they would support Sen. McConnell as leader if elected in November. Three candidates released statements in time for publication. The full statement is posted below.
Clark White said, “I think anyone who has been in politics for more than 12 years should be removed. They are not there for the American people. For too long, we have I have been deceived and stolen from,” he wrote.
Josh Randall told Blaze News:
I will not vote for Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican leader. In his 39 years in the Senate, I don’t think he did enough to change the entrenched spending culture that has gotten us into $34 trillion in debt. He has been too involved in the organization. I expect to see many new senators with the same fiscal mindset as Mike Lee and Rand Paul replacing McConnell and other tenured senators.
I’m also concerned about his health and the recurring “zone out” episodes he has. I think he helped accomplish some good things during his time in the Senate. I mean, I’m thankful Neil Gorsuch is on the Supreme Court and not Merrick Garland. But I’m hopeful that a new generation of senators will replace Mitch McConnell in the near future. There is no shame in retiring at the age of 81 after 39 years of service.
“I will only vote for new, constitutional Senate leadership. It’s time to end Mitch McConnell’s era of big government, personal interests, and crony capitalism,” said Jason Walton.
The Curtis camp also immediately contacted Blaze News, but later requested more time to comment. Blaze News will update this article with any comments provided after publication.
A message sent to the email address listed on Brian “Abe Lincoln” Jenkins’ previous campaign application was returned with a message that the domain name does not exist.
Utah’s primary election will be held a few weeks later on Super Tuesday.
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