SALT LAKE CITY, April 28, (AP): The Utah Republican Party on Saturday selected Trent Staggs as its nominee to replace Mitt Romney in the US Senate, hours after the local official received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
While the endorsement carried Staggs through convention with more than two-thirds of delegate votes, that support may not translate to success at the ballot box. The mayor from Riverton, just south of Salt Lake City, still must face other top contenders in the June 25 GOP primary, including US Rep John Curtis and former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson.
Republican Party nominations historically have had little bearing on the decisions of Utah voters.
Curtis, who is more moderate, and Wilson, a Trump supporter, already qualified for the primary by gathering signatures. The winner will proceed to the November general election to face Democrat Caroline Gleich, a mountaineer and environmental activist who earned her party’s nomination earlier Saturday.
Staggs, 49, built his base by calling delegates personally and courting the endorsements of Trump and many of his allies nationwide. The embattled former president wrote Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform that Staggs is a "100% MAGA” candidate who knows how to stop inflation, grow the economy and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Staggs was the first candidate to enter the Senate race, even before Romney announced he was not seeking reelection.
"Let’s replace Joe Biden’s favorite Republican with Donald Trump’s favorite Republican in Utah,” Staggs said Saturday, criticizing Romney for being a moderate who often has challenged Trump and other Republican leaders.
Staggs' strategy of aligning with the brash, far-right president does not guarantee victory in Utah, one of the few red states that has been reluctant to embrace Trump.
Staggs supporter Eric Buckley said he is confident the endorsement will be well received by Utah voters. The Davis County delegate said that even before Trump’s recommendation he already had chosen to back Staggs for being the first to challenge Romney.