OREM, Utah — As he led a crowd of picnicking families in the “YMCA” dance, Trent Staggs happily waved an “Utah for Trump” flag at a recent campaign rally — another not-so-subtle reminder to voters that he is supported by the former president in the race to retire US Senator Mitt Romney.
That support carried Staggs, who was little known outside the Salt Lake City suburb he leads, to victory at the state’s Republican convention in April, where delegates leaned far right. But his credentials with Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement may not be enough to win Tuesday’s primarieswhen Utah’s more muted Republican electorate gets its say.
The election will determine whether the state still wants a moderate conservative like Romney — U.S. Rep. John Curtis is considered the frontrunner in the race — or a far-right candidate more willing to toe Trump’s line. The vote could have bigger implications for how Utah fits into the evolving dynamic of the national Republican Party, which the former president has largely shaped in his own image.
“We have someone in John Curtis who would just be a continuation of Mitt Romney,” Staggs said at the meeting in a park just north of Provo, the city where Curtis once served as mayor. “I don’t want another senator who has a discordant relationship with President Trump.”
Curtis is currently the longest-serving member of the House delegation for Utah, a rare Republican stronghold that has Trump half-heartedly embraced, whose brash style and comments about refugees and immigrants do not sit well with many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About half of the state’s 3.4 million residents belong to the faith commonly known as the Mormon Church.
Despite losing at the convention, Curtis qualified for the primary ballot using a signature-gathering method that was developed years ago as a solution for moderate candidates to ensure their prospects were not doomed by conservative conservatives who regularly attend conferences.
Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, said Curtis is “in a very good position.” The Republican winner of the primaries is heavily favored in November against Democratic candidate Caroline Gleich in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970.
Even as Trump’s influence has grown in the state, his supporters could be split between Staggs and two other candidates who say they support the agenda of Trump, the former speaker of the Utah House. Brad Wilson and businessman Jason Walton. Wilson was considered a strong candidate to win at the convention, but his loss there to Staggs has relegated him to a longshot in the primaries.
Curtis wants to develop his own brand of conservatism in the post-Romney era of Utah politics, with an emphasis on bringing Republicans to the table on issues related to climate change. Staggs claims that Curtis is “a Democrat masquerading as a Republican.” But with a voting record fits almost perfectly Given Trump’s policy positions, Curtis says he is more conservative than people realize.
The 64-year-old congressman takes the concept of the campaign trail more literally than most. He organized a series of walks with voters to talk about the environment and get to know them while they were in nature.
As founder of the Conservative Climate Conference on Capitol Hill, he has dedicated himself to educating fellow Republicans about the effects of climate change, pushing back against party leaders like Trump, who have falsely claimed it is a hoax and the effects of global warming caused by downplays fossil fuel emissions. The caucus takes a market-based approach to climate issues and is challenging Democratic policies with proposals that Curtis says aim to reduce emissions without endangering American jobs and economic principles.
In a state where outdoor recreation is central to thousands of people’s lives and where access to water and air quality matter to many, Curtis sees the environment as a winning issue.
Still, Curtis has received broad support in recent elections, even from parts of his district that are home to the state’s coal, oil and gas hubs. He has tried to strike a balance by prioritizing the preservation of those industries, touting a plan to extend the operating life of large coal-fired power plants in his district and urging lawmakers not to exclude fossil fuels as part of an affordable clean energy future. The United States, he argues, can meet its emissions reduction goals while still using natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide when burned than other fossil fuels.
“I think the reason they’re so supportive of me — and I’m still talking about climate — is because I’m the first person to ever really say that they are part of the solution, not part of the problem,” Curtis said in an interview.
For snowboard instructor Sara Moore, 34, who identifies as an independent but registered Republican to vote in the primary, Curtis’ emphasis on climate change and the jobs associated with energy production provides a “refreshing” balance.
“I am a seasonal worker. We need a climate that can tolerate snow,” said the voter in Salt Lake City. “But I also recognize how our state’s economy and so many livelihoods depend on the oil and gas industry.”
Staggs, the 50-year-old mayor of Riverton, a suburb south of Salt Lake City, has promoted his endorsement by oil authorities. & Gas Workers Association and he told The Associated Press that he would prioritize energy dominance over cutting emissions. Staggs was the first to enter the race, even before Romney announced he was not stand for re-election.
Staggs supporter Sally Hemingway, 68, of Riverton, said he has been a caring, approachable and productive mayor. She admires that he was the first to challenge Romney.
“It may be a long shot — I think he knows — but his campaign has been about disrupting the status quo since he challenged Mitt Romney,” she said. “And I think he did.”
Jacob Mathews, 25, a student and construction worker, and his wife Maya Mathews, 24, a substitute teacher, were undecided but said they will ultimately vote for the candidate who seems most approachable, supports working families like theirs and values America. Constitution. Whether a candidate is supported by Trump “doesn’t really matter to us,” the couple agreed.
They stopped at their community park in Orem to listen to Staggs and other members of Congress sing in honor of Trump’s birthday. Both left because they wished the candidates had talked more about their policy goals and less about the former president.
“I want to know what you’re going to do for Utah,” Jacob Mathews said. “You, and no one else.”
