Utah GOP to define post-Romney era in Senate primary

When Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) leaves the Senate at the end of the year, he will take with him his centrist reputation. But a primary election later this month will decide if Utah voters still prefer his brand of Republican politics or want to chart a Trumpier path.

Three candidates have solidified themselves as the front-runners in the home stretch of the Senate Republican primary: Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), a climate hawk; Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, a Trump-endorsed conservative; and Brad Wilson, former House speaker for the Beehive State.

GOP voters will choose among them on June 25, with the nominee expected to cruise to victory this November in the reliably red state.

Romney, who lost favor with conservatives after voting to convict former President Donald Trump in his two impeachments, is remaining neutral for fear of being a “kiss of death” to any of the campaigns, he told the Washington Examiner. The retiring senator said he would “absolutely” endorse whichever Republican wins the primary.

Or maybe not. Romney was noncommittal on if he’d get behind the Trump-backed Staggs.

“I’ll cross that bridge if we come to it,” he said.

Staggs, for his part, told the Washington Examiner that Romney’s support isn’t welcome unless he walks back his years of harsh criticism.

“You’ve got somebody who claims he would rather support Biden and vote for him in the general election against Trump. No, that’s not something I would welcome,” Staggs said in an interview. “We need to have Republicans that are going to go back and represent Utahns and everyday Americans. We haven’t seen that in Mitt Romney.”

Romney, who decided not to seek reelection to make way for a “new generation of leaders,” turned 77 this year.

He most closely aligns ideologically with Wilson of the three primary candidates, per legislative analysis from the Conservative Political Action Conference. Romney’s lifetime conservative score is 62%, compared to Wilson’s 71% and Curtis’s 79%. The score of Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has not made an endorsement in the race, is 99%. Staggs did not have one because CPAC does not evaluate local politicians.

Staggs touted his “willingness to stand up to the establishment,” pitching himself as the true MAGA conservative in the race, and has also been endorsed by the likes of Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), plus the Utah GOP.

“If Utahns want a continuation of a Mitt Romney type of legacy, they can go elect my opponent John Curtis,” he said. “If they want somebody who is actually going to stand with President Trump, advance an America First agenda, and get us back to energy dominance, they can elect me.”

Public and internal polling in recent months has found Curtis is the favorite with a double-digit lead, though the margins have varied.

Curtis is the founder of the House Conservative Climate Caucus and has been a leader in the GOP on clean energy, a reputation he’s sought to shake off in the primary. His campaign declined an interview request for this story.

“My constituents see me as far more than the climate guy,” Curtis told the Washington Examiner in January. “It’s a tool in the toolbox. … It’s actually a strength to me, but I clearly want to be a candidate who is good on all the issues that are important to them.”

Wilson, meanwhile, has been criticized by some in the state party for posturing as the most conservative candidate when his record shows some centrist leanings. He brushed aside Staggs’s Trump endorsement, saying the election “has never been about getting the support of people outside of the state of Utah.”

“This isn’t about Mitt. This isn’t about any big personalities or big political leaders in our country or in our state,” Wilson said. “This is about the everyday, hardworking Utahns who, quite frankly, at times have felt — and I’m not necessarily saying this about Sen. Romney — at times like their congressional delegation in general is not as responsive to what needs to be done here in Utah.”

A poll last month commissioned by the political arm of ClearPath, a right-leaning clean energy group that has bolstered Curtis with $450,000 in ad spending, showed Curtis at 35% to Wilson at 11.5% and Staggs at 8% among 500 respondents.

A competing survey provided by the Staggs campaign from the Salt Lake County Republican Party with 4,000 respondents showed Curtis at 36.5% to Staggs’s 22% and Wilson’s 7%.

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Federal election records showed Wilson with the most cash on hand as of April 7, the most recent data available. He had more than $2 million in the bank, compared to Curtis’s $1.3 million and Staggs’s $453,000.

The Washington Examiner previously uncovered how associates and allies of Romney, including prominent donors and former staffers, are backing the more centrist candidates Wilson and Curtis.

Nancy Vu contributed to this report.