In a decisive win, Representative John Curtis (R-UT) claimed the Republican nomination to fill retiring Senator Mitt Romney’s seat in the upcoming November election. With over 64% of the votes cast, Curtis outperformed his challengers, including Brad Wilson and Jason Walton, to secure the party’s endorsement.
A significant factor contributing to Curtis’s success was his substantial campaign financing, as he raised nearly $970,000 in just over two months, surpassing his opponents’ efforts. By comparison, Staggs raised only about $260,000 during the same period, indicating a significant disparity in their fundraising efforts.
Curtis’s conservative record and stance on social issues, particularly regarding the Fairness for All Act, which aimed to “destroy female athletics,” have garnered significant attention. Curtis has previously spoken out against transgender individuals participating in women’s sports and claimed that he does not support the act. Despite this, the Heritage Action for America, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, and other prominent organizations criticized the bill, citing its potential negative impacts on medical professionals’ conscience rights, foster children, privacy and safety, freedom of speech, conscience, and religion.
The Fairness for All Act of 2019 was co-sponsored by Curtis on multiple occasions, in 2019 and 2021. In his capacity as a former Utah Democratic Party chairman, Curtis’s shift to the Republican party sparked controversy, with opponent Staggs branding him a “RINO” and implying that he switched parties for electoral purposes.
Curtis’s Republican rival, Staggs, questioned the legitimacy of Curtis’s affiliation switch, stating that he only changed party labels to run for Jason Chaffetz’s seat. Staggs went on to suggest that Curtis, with his backing from climate change activist organizations, was more committed to extreme environmental policies than true conservatism.
In the November election, Curtis will face environmentalist and skier Caroline Gleich, who secured the Democratic Party nomination. It has been 51 years since Utah elected a Democrat senator, and the upcoming election will mark an exciting opportunity for voters to make their voices heard.
