SALT LAKE CITY — A dozen Utah Republicans vying to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate will face off Saturday for the party’s nomination in a race that is expected to reveal the type 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 policies align more with those of the outgoing senator or those of the other U.S. senator from Utah, conservative Mike Lee, who supports former President Donald Trump.
The winner of Saturday’s Republican convention, which tends to favor far-right candidates who appeal to the party’s most zealous members, could gain a lead in the race. Losing candidates will still be able to qualify for the June 25 primary runoff by gathering signatures, so Republican voters will ultimately decide the party’s choice to succeed Romney.
“Ultimately, the successful candidate in the primary election phase will be the one who demonstrates that he or she best identifies with Utah’s general Republican values, rather than the one who is able to defend the position most possible, although it helps him achieve his delegate goals to some extent,” said Damon Cann, chair of the political science department at Utah State University.
The crowded race, which includes a congressman, a former state legislative leader and the attorney son of a former senator, will not only set the tone for Utah’s conservative post-Romney era, but will serve likely litmus test for Trump’s popularity. in the Beehive State.
Those closest to the embattled former president, former House Speaker Brad Wilson, are expected to perform 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 in the primary.
“This is a type of state where I think you actually have a slight advantage in being more anti-Trump, if not decisively and vocally, which you won’t find in most states where Republican voters are affected,” Curry said.
Although Trump has made inroads in the state party, he has long been unpopular among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church, which makes up about half of the state’s 3.4 million residents.
Curtis, 63, has actively tried to distance himself from Trump, and even Romney, by promising to chart his own course in the Senate. However, his ability to push his fellow Republicans in Congress to address climate change — in the same way that Romney urged party members to break away from Trump — has led many to draw parallels between the two.
Even Wilson, 55, who endorsed Trump earlier this year, made little mention of the former president on the campaign trail. The move represents a departure from many far-right candidates in other states who have tried to exploit Trump’s political power to win their own elections.
Curry expects the party’s nomination to carry little weight in a state where Republican delegates are often not representative of the party’s broader membership. Romney himself was booed by delegates in past conventions and even lost the nomination in 2018, but he still won the statewide popular vote.
The candidates notably did not seek Romney’s endorsement, which Cann said is unusual in races with an incumbent president. Many have sought support from 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 secured their spots on the primary ballot through signature gathering. And the option remains until mid-June for a few other people who have filed papers, including Brent Orrin Hatch, son of Utah’s longest-serving U.S. senator, the late Orrin Hatch.
Wilson raised about $2 million from his supporters and he loaned his campaign another $2.8 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Curtis has raised about $3 million, which includes money left over from his previous run for Congress.
Republican candidates for governor, Congress and other important offices will also be selected at Saturday’s convention. Incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox faces high-profile challengers, but Cann and Curry expect the moderate Republican to win the primary even if he is not chosen as the party’s nominee.
ABC News
