Rep. John Curtis’s (R-UT) victory in the Republican primary to replace Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) over former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate shows a way for the Republican Party to move forward following the current divisiveness. Curtis won the primary easily, with nearly 51% of the vote over Trump-backed candidate Trent Staggs, who had about 30% of the vote.
Romney has a reputation for being critical of Trump, notably voting to impeach him twice. Romney is no stranger to intraparty conflict. His father, George Romney, battled fellow Republicans who opposed using the Department of Housing and Urban Development to force integration on suburban communities. Romney announced he was not running for another term in the Senate in late 2023 and called for the next generation of leaders to step up.
Curtis, a former Democrat, has vowed to embrace policies that slow rising global temperatures. “The success I’ve had in my current district, which is coal, oil, and gas, shows there is a way for Republicans to talk about this in a way that doesn’t alienate people who come from that industry,” the four-term House member told Politico in an interview after announcing his Senate campaign. “The fact I have leaned into an issue that is not typically traditional [among Republicans] is helpful to me.”
Curtis is chairman of the Conservative Climate Caucus, a group he founded in 2021 in part as a way to reach the young and suburban voters who care about climate change and protecting the environment. Polls typically show that Republicans are vulnerable among those groups. This is a group that has grown to 81 members. Curtis argued on the campaign trail that people should be focused on “Leaving the Earth better than we found it. … That’s what it all comes back to — and that’s something we’re all going to agree on.” He also ties it to economics.
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While it can be difficult to figure out exactly what type of policy Curtis is advocating, he will be good for Utah. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), a colleague of Curtis’s on the House Natural Resources Committee, said Curtis has not delivered on his climate pitch. “Has he backed up the talk? Not even close,” Huffman said. “John Curtis is one of the most mild-mannered, pleasant people you will find in or out of politics. But is he the great Republican climate messiah? Absolutely not.” Curtis has made small steps toward change, and with new potential influence in the Senate, he could bring more bipartisan deal-making.
Thus far, he has shown his ability to bring people together. In today’s age of divisive politics, particularly within the Republican Party, Curtis has shown a willingness to have hard conversations about how to cooperate on policy. This alone will be a benefit to the people of Utah and the U.S. Senate.