SALT LAKE CITY — A dozen Utah Republicans vying to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate will battle for the party nomination Saturday in a race expected to reveal the kind of political conservatism that most appeals to the state’s modern voters.
Romney has long been the face of the party’s more moderate wing, and observers are closely watching whether voters choose a successor whose politics are more aligned with the retiring senator or Utah’s other U.S. senator, conservative Mike Lee, who served as former president Donald Trump supports.
The winner of Saturday’s GOP convention, who favors far-right candidates who appeal to the party’s most zealous members, may face a setback in the race. Losing candidates can still qualify for the June 25 primary by collecting signatures, so Republican voters will ultimately decide the party’s choice to succeed Romney.
“Ultimately, the successful candidate in the primary will be the candidate who shows that they best align with Utah’s overall Republican values, rather than the person who is able to take the most appropriate position, even if it helps them to some extent with the delegates,” said Damon Cann, head of the political science department at Utah State University.
The crowded race, which also includes a congressman, a former state legislative leader and the lawyer son of a former senator, will not only set the tone for Utah’s post-Romney era of conservatism but will likely serve as a litmus test for Trump’s popularity. in the Bijenkorf State.
Those most closely associated with the embattled former president, namely former Speaker of the House of Representatives Brad Wilson, are expected to do well at the convention. But political scientists like James Curry of the University of Utah expect a more moderate candidate like U.S. Rep. John Curtis to win the primary.
“This is the kind of state where I think you actually have a slight advantage if you’re more anti-Trump, if not decisively and vocally, which is something you don’t find in most states when it comes to Republican voters,” Curry said.
Although Trump has made inroads into the state party, he has long been unpopular among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, which represents about half of its 3.4 million residents. of the state.
Curtis, 63, has actively tried to distance himself from Trump, and even Romney, and vowed to follow his own path in the Senate. His record of pushing fellow Republicans in Congress to fight climate change — in much the same way Romney urged party members to part ways with Trump — has led many to draw parallels between the two Pull.
Even Wilson, 55, who endorsed Trump earlier this year, has made little mention of the former president during his campaign. The move marks a departure from many far-right candidates in other states who have tried to leverage Trump’s political power to win their own races.
Curry expects the party nomination will carry little weight in a state where Republican delegates are often unrepresentative of the party’s broader membership. Romney himself was booed by delegates at previous conventions and even lost the nomination in 2018, but he still won the statewide popular vote.
Notably, the candidates did not seek Romney’s endorsement, which Cann said is unusual in races with an outgoing incumbent president. Many have sought the support of his more conservative counterpart, who is popular among delegates, but Lee has not endorsed anyone in the Senate race so far.
Curtis, Wilson and businessman Jason Walton have already guaranteed their place in the primaries by collecting signatures. And the option remains open until mid-June for a few others who have filed paperwork, including Brent Orrin Hatch, son of Utah’s longest-serving U.S. senator, the late Orrin Hatch.
Wilson has raised about $2 million from his supporters, and he has loaned his campaign another $2.8 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Curtis has raised about $3 million, including money left over from his former bid for Congress.
Republican nominees for governor, Congress and other prominent offices will also be selected at Saturday’s convention. Incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox faces a number of prominent challengers, but Cann and Curry expect the moderate Republican to win the primary even if he is not chosen as the party’s nominee.
