Rep. John Curtis Dominates Utah Primary to Succeed Mitt Romney in U.S. Senate
Curtis was viewed as the more moderate option running against a Trump-endorsed candidate.
The Democratic and Republican primaries occurred today in Utah to select candidates for the U.S. Senate seat up in the November general election. It only takes a plurality of the vote for a candidate to receive their party’s nomination.
One-term incumbent Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican, declined to seek a second term in office. He is one of eight retirements from the Senate during the 2024 cycle - only two of which are Republicans.
John Curtis has been declared the winner in the Republican primary. The race was called in his favor as he’s currently leading with 48.9% against Trent Staggs with 32.5%, Brad Wilson with 12.6%, and Jason Walton with 6.0%. 416,591 votes have been counted.
Since November 2017, Curtis has represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. From January 2010 to November 2017, he served as the Mayor of Provo, Utah.
Notably, Romney didn’t endorse any of the primary candidates in the race to succeed him. However, former President Donald Trump backed Staggs, the Mayor of Riverton. Curtis obtaining a majority of the vote further proves that Utah Republicans remain largely resistant to MAGA extremism.
Meanwhile, Caroline Gleich has been declared the winner in the Democratic primary after running unopposed.
Gleich is a professional skier and mountaineer. She is also an advocate for environmental justice and climate reform. She previously testified in front of Congress in support of the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019.
34 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested in the 2024 general election happening on Tuesday, November 5. Control of the 100-member upper legislative chamber in the U.S. Congress will be decided by the outcome.