Allies of outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) have confirmed that he would welcome victory in Utah’s Republican Senate primary, including two establishment candidates, state House Speaker Brad Wilson ( (R-Utah) and Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah).
of washington examiner Nancy Vu report The two will face off against America First’s Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs (R) and Brent Hatch, son of the late U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), in the nomination race to boost their conservative brands. It is said that
But Curtis and Wilson’s conservative record is spotty.
For example, Curtis was not approved The 45th president was former President Donald Trump, even though he held the position of Republican presidential nominee for a month. After touting the Utah Compact on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which he signed in 2021, Wilson upended Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on the campaign trail. is attacking.
Is Utah RINO John Curtis the only Senate candidate in the country still refusing to support President Donald Trump? pic.twitter.com/kdhDzH0H1C
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) April 10, 2024
And it has ties to Romney, the 2012 presidential candidate who tried and failed to win over conservatives, a person close to Wilson’s campaign said. examiner It’s “politically toxic.”
Republican Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson announced during a rally in Draper, Utah, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, that he will run for the Senate seat vacated by Mitt Romney, who recently announced he would not run for re-election. . . (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
“If the conservative party is aiming to win the primary, it would be politically harmful to take over Mr. Romney’s staff,” the person said. “If we want to win, we need to distance ourselves as much as possible from Romney.”
A Utah state lawmaker spoke to the newspaper anonymously. examiner Mr. Romney and Mr. Wilson are closely aligned on this issue, and the lack of enthusiasm for Mr. Romney in Utah has fueled Mr. Wilson’s efforts to distance himself from the former Massachusetts governor. Stated.
As Mr. Vu points out, one connection from Mr. Wilson to Mr. Romney is through his campaign manager, Caleb Worthen. Worthen was a regional field manager for Romney’s 2012 campaign. Mr. Romney and Mr. Wilson also share donors.
Citing FEC filings, Vu reported that the family of Ken Gardner, “one of Romney’s closest friends,” and Gardner himself contributed $39,600 to Wilson’s campaign. The campaign also received $9,900 from former state Sen. Dan Hemmer (R), who “encouraged Mr. Romney to run for Senate in 2017.”
Gardner – Wrote an opinion piece titled “Why Mormons Should Support Hillary Clinton” in the run-up to the 2016 election. contributed Breitbart News said he was listed as a participant in former Gov. Chris Christie’s (R-N.J.) 2024 presidential campaign and host of a “reception with benefits” for Wilson’s review committee in October. reported. I got it.. Donors from other facilities and anti-Trump Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) were also listed as organizers.
and billionaire Gail Miller, who donated to Romney’s Senate campaign. donated Wilson was paid up to $9,900 in September, FEC records show. Vu wrote that Miller and his family have donated a combined $23,100.
And while FEC records for Mr. Curtis’ campaign are not yet available, a January fundraiser for the candidate requesting At least $5,000 of donations have been sponsored by several Romney allies, Vu wrote.
A number of alumni staff and donors with ties to Utah Republicans held the rally. January fundraising activities Mr. Curtis had just announced his candidacy. One notable host was Spencer Zwick. raised over $1 billion He served as Romney’s finance committee chairman during the 2012 presidential campaign. Other fundraisers include Matt Waldrip, Romney’s former campaign manager and former Senate chief of staff, and Alex, Romney’s chief of staff when he was governor of Massachusetts. -Includes Mr. Dan.Zwick had I recommended it to Dan before. In 2015, he plans to begin a primary campaign for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Mr. Romney told the outlet in March that he would welcome a scenario in which either candidate became a senator, but his chief of staff, Liz Johnson, later said he would not be involved in the primary.
And while Mr. Curtis tried to portray himself as different from Mr. Romney and America First Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in an interview with the Deseret News in January, Mr. Staggs said: declared in March that Utah needed a second Mike Lee.
“Utah deserves to have Mike Lee again. And that’s exactly what I would give us in this state. A true conservative.”
Staggs, an ardent Trump supporter, has rallied support from key MAGA figures, including former acting director of national intelligence Rick Grenell and former Pentagon chief of staff Kash Patel, who served in the Trump administration. .
Mayor Trent Staggs (Facebook/Mayor Trent Staggs)
He also collaborated with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, It has been endorsed by best-selling author and conservative commentator Mark Levin, among others.
In January, Staggs warned in an interview with Breitbart News on Saturday about the candidacies of Wilson and Curtis that “Romney is still on the ballot.”
“I’m the only America First candidate in this race, and I’ve been very fortunate to have the support of so many great conservatives like Mark Levin, Charlie Kirk, Kash Patel, and Kali Lake. ” he said.
