SALT LAKE CITY — After initially denying the idea, Rep. John Curtis is now running for U.S. Senate.
Sources told FOX 13 News political reporter Ben Winslow on Tuesday that the representative for Utah's 3rd Congressional District will run for the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Mitt Romney next year.
“As a father and grandfather, I care deeply about Utah’s future. That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for U.S. Senate,” said Curtis in his official announcement on Wednesday. “We need to get America back on track and as your Senator, I will keep fighting reckless spending in both parties and work hard every day to make Utah an even better place.”
Romney announced in September that he will not seek re-election in 2024. He was in office for only one term after being elected in 2018, replacing Sen. Orrin Hatch who retired after 42 years in office. Hatch passed away in May 2022.
Curtis has gone back and forth about running to replace Romney. In October, he announced that he would not run for various reasons — including how he felt he still had work to accomplish in his current office, as well as not wanting to become a "career politician" with a six-year term.
A month later, however, he said he was reconsidering the option after more and more Utahns apparently urged him to run. A political action committee also began running ads seeking to draft him in a run for the Republican nomination.
The news of Curtis' run for Senate comes on the same day as several candidates officially filed their candidacy. In addition, Brent Orrin Hatch (son of the late Sen. Orrin Hatch) announced his campaign on the same day.
Curtis is joining a crowded field for the Senate election, but his departure in the third district will leave an open seat and will bring even more candidates out to file this week.
