EXCLUSIVE — Entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing Utah voters to back Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs’s Senate bid just days before the state holds its primary election on Tuesday.
In a video first shared with the Washington Examiner, Ramaswamy praised Staggs for his experience as a local lawmaker, arguing Congress needs “leaders like Mayor Staggs in Washington, D.C.”
“Politicians shouldn’t profit from public service. Public service is about serving the public and not yourself,” Ramaswamy said. “The reason I’ve endorsed Mayor Trent Staggs is he understands that we need more patriots in the U.S. Senate and in Washington, D.C., who are actually in it for the right reason.”
Ramaswamy endorsed Staggs in the crowded Senate primary to replace incumbent Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who was first sworn into the seat in 2018. Romney, 76, announced last year he would not seek reelection, citing his age as a primary reason.
News of his retirement sparked immediate announcements from some candidates, such as Staggs and former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, who both emerged as early contenders in the race. Because of their swift announcements, the two candidates received a headstart on high-profile endorsements and fundraising.
Staggs was the first to declare his candidacy last year, garnering the support of several local leaders and national Republicans such as Mark Levin, Harmeet Dhillon, and Charlie Kirk.
But the race only became more competitive after Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) announced he would run for the seat. He quickly became the frontrunner thanks to his widespread name recognition after representing Utah’s 3rd Congressional District in the House over the last five years.
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The most recent polling in the race shows Curtis leading the field with 47% support among voters, followed by Wilson at 24% and Staggs at 21%, according to a survey conducted by the Deseret News and the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics.
A victory in the primary is crucial for the Republican candidates as the winner is all but ensured to win the seat in November. The seat is not expected to be competitive for Democrats, as Utah is considered to be a reliably red state. The last time a Democrat was elected to represent the Beehive State in the Senate was 1970.