SALT LAKE CITY — "Right now, Washington is broken," Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs began in his campaign video announcing his intentions to run for U.S. Senate against Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
In his video, Staggs emphasized debt and said he has, "reduced spending and innovated to lower the cost of government" while serving as mayor.
"I'm not a career politician or a Massachusetts millionaire," Staggs said in the video. "I'm a mayor, businessman, husband and father who wants his children to grow up with the same opportunities that I did."
Staggs is hoping to take the seat of current Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who's been in office since 2019.
He was elected mayor of Riverton in 2017 and was sworn into a second term in 2022. Before serving as mayor, he spent four years on the Riverton City Council.
In April, Romney quietly took the first step toward a reelection bid by filing a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, FOX 13's content-sharing partners at the Salt Lake Tribune News previously reported.
The step was not a definitive indicator of his intentions but hinted strongly that he will run for a second term in 2024.
House Speaker Brad Wilson also told FOX 13 News in April he was considering joining the race as well, saying he would make a decision based on the best interest of the state and of his family.
