EXCLUSIVE — Conservative lawmakers in Utah are pushing state House Speaker Brad Wilson to run for Senate next year, setting the stage for what could be a competitive GOP primary to oust Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
More than 60 lawmakers in the Utah legislature endorsed Wilson to run against the first-term incumbent, according to a memo first obtained by the Washington Examiner. The list of endorsements includes a majority of Utah Republican legislators, comprising three-quarters of the state House and more than two-thirds of the Utah Senate.
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“It's humbling to have the support of so many of my legislative colleagues. From my perspective, at least, these are the people that have worked shoulder to shoulder with me for many, many years. They know me best, they know my conservative perspective on things,” Wilson told the Washington Examiner. “What they have told me, my legislative colleagues, is very similar to what I've heard as I've traveled all over the state of Utah, which has been: Utah needs back in D.C. a bold, conservative, results-oriented fighter that can take the conservative way we do things in Utah and get things done in D.C.”
The slate of high-profile endorsements includes a number of well-known state legislators such as state Senate President Stuart Adams, state Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, and state Majority Whip Ann Millner — giving Wilson a key boost as he mulls a Senate run.
“We have worked together to pass tax cuts for Utahns three years in a row, provide parents with unprecedented school choice and expand Second Amendment protections," Adams said in a statement. "I know he will take the same principles that make Utah the best state in the nation to be an impactful voice for our values in the U.S. Senate.”
Wilson launched an exploratory committee earlier this year to consider a run against Romney next year, later reporting a record-breaking fundraising haul for the most money raised by a GOP Senate candidate or potential candidate in their first three months. Wilson has not yet launched a campaign, but told the Washington Examiner an announcement is likely to come in the fall.
“What my focus is right now is getting myself in as strong of a position as possible so that if, or more likely when, we launch a full campaign this fall, we are ready to go and we are ready to win,” Wilson said.
Romney has not yet announced whether he intends to run for reelection. However, the first-term incumbent filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC in April to allow his campaign to begin fundraising.
Should Wilson throw his hat in the ring, he would join Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who was the first to announce a challenge to Romney in May. However, Staggs could face an uphill battle as Wilson would benefit from higher name recognition after serving as the House speaker for four years.
If all three candidates run, it could set the stage for one of the most competitive GOP primaries of the 2024 cycle.
If he runs for another term, Romney would benefit from his long reputation as a prominent national figure, previously serving as the governor of Massachusetts and being chosen as the 2012 Republican nominee for president. However, the Republican senator has attracted backlash due to his willingness to break with his party on several issues, especially regarding former President Donald Trump.
Romney is the only Republican senator to vote to impeach Trump twice, making his chances unclear in the reliably red state of Utah, which voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 by wide margins. However, conservative anti-Trump sentiment is more pronounced in Utah than in other red states, which could boost his standing.
Recent polling shows Utah voters are split on whether Romney should run for another term, with only 47% saying he should run compared to 51% who say he should not, according to a poll from Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics. Another 3% said they were unsure.
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Meanwhile, Romney has expressed confidence in his chances should he run for a second term.
“I’ll make that assessment over the coming months, and sometime in the spring or summer, I’ll make that decision,” Romney told reporters in February. “I’m confident that I would win if I decide to run. I’ll have the resources, and I believe the people of Utah would be with me.”