Elections

GOP Rep Wins Primary Against Trump-Backed Candidate In Race To Replace Mitt Romney

(Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

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Rebeka Zeljko Contributor
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Rep. John Curtis won the Republican Senate primary in Utah on Tuesday against Trump-endorsed Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs and former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson.

Curtis, who has served in Congress since 2017, won against Staggs and Wilson, according the AP projection. Curtis is now favored to win former Republican presidential nominee and Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat following his retirement. (RELATED: GOP Rep Running For Mitt Romney’s Seat Rakes In Thousands From Nikki Haley Donors In First Quarter As A Candidate)

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 13: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) answers questions in his office after announcing he will not seek re-election on September 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Curtis, who was favored to win in many polls, was briefly registered as a Democrat and ran an unsuccessful campaign against Republican candidate Curt Bramble in 2000 for state Senate, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. He returned to the Republic Party in 2007 and has remained in the GOP since then.

Despite polling significantly behind Curtis, Staggs was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and other influential Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and former Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump praised Staggs for being “MAGA all the way,” and said Staggs “is all about America First” in a video endorsement. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Matt Gaetz To Campaign, Endorse Trent Staggs For US Senate — Looking To Replace Mitt Romney)

Staggs was also endorsed by the Utah Republican Party, winning the most votes at the state convention just hours after earning Trump’s endorsement, according to Politico.

Ahead of the voting, Curtis led Staggs by 20 points, according to a Noble Predictive Insights poll from June, and was leading Wilson by 23 points, according to a June HarrisX poll.

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