Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) didn’t say he would challenge Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) at Saturday’s Lincoln Day dinner in St. George, Utah, but he didn’t rule it out, either.
“Look, I love what I am doing now,” Chaffetz told the Deseret News after being asked about a possible return to politics. “But I’d love to serve again in some capacity. ... So, yeah, I’d consider that, but it’s not something I am working on.”
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Romney cruised to election in 2018, defeating former Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy 71% to 23% in the Republican primary. Romney had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement at the time.
Romney has since voted as one of the most liberal members of the Republican Senate caucus. He was one of just three Republicans to vote for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and he has voted with the Democratic majority and against Republicans on new gun control laws, expanded support for same-sex marriage, and President Joe Biden’s trillion-dollar infrastructure bill.
Romney also refused to endorse fellow Republican Sen. Mike Lee (UT) in his general election race against the Democratic Party-endorsed and funded Evan McMullin. Lee won that race, 53% to 43%.
While Romney enjoys a job approval of 50% in Utah, most of that support comes from Democrats — they support him 65% to 35%. Among Republicans, Romney is underwater, with just 46% of Republicans approving and 50% disapproving.
Looking ahead to 2024, a majority of Utah voters, 51%, say Romney should not run for reelection, whereas just 47% want him to run again.
Raised in California and Colorado, Chaffetz first came to Utah on an athletic scholarship to Brigham Young University, where he was the football team’s placekicker. A Democrat while in college, Chaffetz became a Republican after meeting former President Ronald Reagan in 1990.
Chaffetz represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District from 2009 through 2017 before leaving Congress for Fox News.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has also been floated as a possible challenger to Romney.
“There’s a lot more frustration, and it’s only building,” Utah Republican Andrew Badger told the Associated Press last year. “I don’t think he would win in a vote today, certainly not in a Republican primary.”