A prominent Republican lawmaker in Utah has raised more than $2 million since launching an exploratory committee to challenge Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), breaking the record for the most money raised by a GOP Senate candidate or potential candidate in their first three months.
Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson has raised roughly $2.2 million since launching the committee in April, giving the GOP leader a hefty war chest as he considers a primary challenge to Romney next year. Nearly half of the sum was raised by in-state donors, while $1.2 million comes from Wilson’s own personal contribution, according to the committee.
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“Since announcing an exploratory committee for U.S. Senate, I have traveled to every corner of the state to meet with Utahns. Their message is loud and clear: Utah wants a bold, proven, conservative leader in the U.S. Senate,” Wilson said in a statement. “I am encouraged by the enthusiastic support we’ve received so far. This finance report is only the beginning and shows that should I decide to run, we will have the resources and firepower we need to get our message out — and win.”
The contributions leave Wilson with more than $2.1 million cash on hand, putting him in a strong position to take on Romney, who had just over $604,000 in the bank at the end of March, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Romney has not 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.
If both he and Wilson decide to run, it could set the stage for one of the most competitive GOP primaries of the 2024 cycle.
If he ran, 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.
Although Romney benefits from national name recognition, 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.”