SALT LAKE CITY — As Sen. Mitt Romney announced he will not run for reelection in 2024, Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird has made the decision to jump into the race.
"Guys like me aren’t supposed to run for office," he said in a campaign video. "We aren’t born into money or power. Success isn’t given, it’s earned.”
As part of his underdog bid, Bird pledged $1 million of his own money to the campaign.
The small-town mayor said he is promising to "rescue constitutional freedoms, fight for working families and put the needs of Utahns ahead of special interests."
Bird was elected mayor of Roosevelt in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021.
Bird is the third Utah Republican who has expressed his desire to be Utah's next senator. In May, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs announced his campaign. While House Speaker Brad Wilson hasn't formally declared his intent to run, he did announce Monday his resignation from the state legislature, with his U.S. Senate exploratory committee making a "special announcement" later this month.
The Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson previously told FOX 13 News that more than 15 people have reached out to him inquiring about the possibility of running in the race.
