{"id":2061851,"date":"2023-10-10T11:45:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T15:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prospective-utah-gop-field-for-romneys-us-senate-seat-keeps-getting-smaller\/"},"modified":"2023-10-10T11:50:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T15:50:02","slug":"prospective-utah-gop-field-for-romneys-us-senate-seat-keeps-getting-smaller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prospective-utah-gop-field-for-romneys-us-senate-seat-keeps-getting-smaller\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah GOP field for Romney&#8217;s Senate seat shrinks."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fprospective-utah-gop-field-for-romneys-us-senate-seat-keeps-getting-smaller%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2061851&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Republican Senate Race in Utah Narrows as Rep. \u200bJohn \u2064Curtis Declines to Run<\/h2>\n<p>Excitement is \u200cbuilding as Republican primaries for U.S. Senate seats on 2024 ballots\u2064 across \u206434\u200d states are getting crowded with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prospective-utah-gop-field-for-romneys-us-senate-seat-keeps-getting-smaller\/\" title=\"Utah GOP field for Romney's Senate seat shrinks.\">promising inter-partisan pit fights<\/a>. However, the \u200dfield of \u200cprospective candidates in Utah seems to be shrinking.<\/p>\n<p>The latest hopeful to\u2064 formally declare he will not run is U.S.\u200d Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who has confirmed he will \u200bnot enter the Republican primary to vie for the party&#8217;s nod to \u2063succeed retiring Sen.\u200d Mitt\u200d Romney (R-Utah).<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve \u200daccomplished a lot but my work \u200bfor [my congressional district constituents] is not\u2063 done,&#8221; he wrote in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/utah\/2023\/10\/2\/23900707\/utah-john-curtis-romney-senate-seat-decision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oct. 2 Deseret News Op-Ed<\/a>. &#8220;I believe we need elected leaders who are more concerned about doing their job than getting\u200b the next job. To walk away now would\u2063 leave a\u200d commitment unfilled. I want to finish\u200c the job.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/entertainment\/sound-of-freedom-inspiration-tim-ballard-denies-sexual-harassment-allegations-after-resigning-from-anti-child-sex-trafficking-organization-5494841?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>&#8216;Sound of Freedom&#8217; Inspiration Tim Ballard Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations \u200dAfter Resigning From Anti-Child\u2062 Sex Trafficking\u200b Organization<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/21\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/entertainment\/sound-of-freedom-inspiration-tim-ballard-denies-sexual-harassment-allegations-after-resigning-from-anti-child-sex-trafficking-organization-5494841?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/sound-of-freedom-inspiration-tim-ballard-mulls-run-for-sen-romneys-seat-5492689?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>&#8216;Sound of Freedom&#8217; Inspiration Tim Ballard Mulls Run for Sen. Romney\u2019s Seat<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/sound-of-freedom-inspiration-tim-ballard-mulls-run-for-sen-romneys-seat-5492689?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With Mr. Curtis opting not to \u200brun, that leaves state\u2063 House\u2062 Speaker Rep. Brad Wilson heavily\u200b favored to outpoll Riverton Mayor Trent Skaggs\u200b and Roosevelt Mayor \u2064Rod Bird Jr., the founder of an oilfield supply company,\u2062 in the June 25, 2024, GOP Senate primary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>They are the top three candidates on the Republican Senate primary ballot in\u2062 deep-red Utah, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats three-to-one and a Democrat has not \u2064been elected to\u2063 the Senate \u2064since 1977.<\/p>\n<h2>Seat\u200d Wide Open<\/h2>\n<p>The filing deadline is not until March so \u2063the field\u2064 could grow, \u2064although rumored entries into \u2063the\u200d Senate race by several prominent Utahans have not, as yet, \u200dmaterialized.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Former U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has expressed greater interest in a prospective 2024 governor campaign but has not conclusively ruled out a Senate run.<\/p>\n<p>Former Trump \u2062administration national security adviser \u2062Robert O&#8217;Brien announced in August that he\u200c would \u2064not seek Mr. Romney&#8217;s opening seat despite \u2062encouragement from Congressional conservatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) walks through the \u2063Senate subway during a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, on \u2062Feb. 16, \u20632022. (Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Meanwhile, Operation Underground Railroad\u200c (OUR) CEO and founder Tim \u200bBallard, who produced the &#8220;Sound of \u2063Freedom&#8221; movie about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-least-congress-can-do-is-hold-tech-giants-accountable-for-aiding-child-sex-traffickers\/\" title=\"Congress must hold tech giants accountable for aiding child sex traffickers.\">child sex trafficking industry<\/a>, is still apparently pondering\u200b a run\u2064 despite \u2063being embroiled in a scandal of his own.<\/p>\n<h2>Allegations Derail Ballard<\/h2>\n<p>In a\u2064 Sept.\u200b 29 statement, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said he was withdrawing a\u200c previous expression of support for the anti-human-trafficking \u200dactivist\u200d to enter the race after allegations\u200d of sexual abuse at OUR surfaced this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Ballard and Mr. Reyes are regarded as friends who have worked and traveled\u2064 together extensively in OUR&#8217;s advocacy and in creating\u200d the International Child Rescue Laboratory in Salt\u200b Lake\u200c City. Mr. Reyes is \u200bcredited as a &#8220;Sound\u200b of Freedom&#8221; associate producer.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2063his statement, \u2063Mr. Reyes said he was &#8220;shocked and deeply saddened&#8221; by the allegations against Mr. \u200bBallard\u200c and\u200d that he &#8220;will not be supporting or endorsing anyone in Utah&#8217;s 2024 U.S.\u200b Senate race.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When Mr. Romney\u2064 announced in July that he would not seek\u2064 a second Senate term in 2024, Mr. Reyes \u2063issued a statement clarifying that \u2064he would not seek \u200bthe seat and encouraged Mr. Ballard to do \u2064so.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I believe I am well positioned \u200cto run for and win that \u2063seat and could \u2062serve well\u2063 as a Senator,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But, after a long time consulting with\u200c my family, praying,\u2064 and looking at where I can\u200b make the most difference and serve most effectively, I\u2064 have decided \u200dit is not in D.C. but here\u200d at home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In formally announcing he would seek another term \u2063as Utah attorney general\u2063 rather than run for Senate, Mr.\u200b Reyes\u2062 said Mr. Romney&#8217;s retirement opens doors for others.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That opens \u2063up\u200c an \u200dopportunity for a dear friend of mine who is a \u200bgreat conservative, patriot, and warrior to run and serve as \u2062the next \u200cSenator from Utah,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This person will be \u2063making an announcement in the days to come and I will be\u2064 standing alongside\u2062 this \u200cservant leader on a journey to the United States\u200b Senate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:942px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Tim \u2062Ballard provides\u200b testimony before the\u2064 House Committee on Homeland Security \u2063in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 13, 2023. (Screenshot\/Committee on Homeland Security)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But that announcement has \u200dnot come. Shortly\u200b afterward, \u200bMr. \u200cBallard resigned or was ousted from OUR and condemned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints \u200cfor &#8220;morally unacceptable&#8221; behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Several \u200dformer female OUR \u2063employees claim \u200cMr. \u200cBallard subjected them to &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-cuomo-aide-makes-shocking-sexual-harassment-allegation\/\" title=\"Ex-Cuomo Aide Makes Shocking Sexual Harassment Allegation\">sexual harassment<\/a>, spiritual manipulation, grooming, \u2062and sexual misconduct&#8221;\u200b while engaged in\u200c undercover &#8220;couples ruse&#8221; in conducting &#8220;anti-human-trafficking investigations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In complaints investigated by the Davis County Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigations\u2062 (FBI) since December 2020, the alleged victims\u200b claim\u2062 Mr. Ballard \u200ccoerced them into\u2064 sharing a bed and showering together to &#8220;sell&#8221; their\u200b roles\u2063 as a couple.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ballard has steadfastly denied the allegations and maintains he never engaged in\u2062 any physical contact with the women. But since the claims surfaced, he has not formally announced whether\u2064 he is entering the Senate race.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2063an Oct. 3 post on \u2062X, formerly Twitter,\u2063 Mr. Ballard sounded both like a candidate and a defendant vowing to\u2064 prove his innocence as he viewed the Lincoln Monument in \u200bWashington.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;As I reflected on Lincoln&#8217;s story while\u2063 visiting his monument recently, I was encouraged, inspired, and reminded that while doing\u200d great things can often lead to opposition, they can\u2064 also lead to changing the world,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Thank you for your continued support. God bless.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Senate in 2024<\/h2>\n<p>There will be 34 U.S. \u200bSenate seats \u2064on ballots across the nation in\u200d November 2024, including 20 held by Democrats, \u200bthree \u200cby \u200dindependents, and 11 by Republicans.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With Democrats defending far more\u200d seats, the scenario leaves Republicans\u200b confident heading into the 2024 elections that they can\u200b gain\u2062 control of \u2063the chamber now led by Democrats, 51-49.<\/p>\n<p>While all 11 GOP-held \u2063Senate seats appear &#8220;safe&#8221; or \u200dnearly so, as many as nine of the 23 \u2063incumbent Democrats\/Independents could\u200d be in for difficult reelections. Elections rating services such as Sabato&#8217;s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections project the GOP \u2064could take as many as four seats now occupied \u2062by Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 20 \u2063seats \u2062now held by\u2064 incumbent Democrats, at least\u2062 eight are in states defined as &#8220;competitive&#8221; by Sabato&#8217;s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections, with three Senate Democrats in states won by \u2064former President Donald \u200bTrump in 2020\u2014West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio.<\/p>\n<p>The three independent Senate incumbents caucus with Democrats with two\u2014Sens. Angus King of Maine \u2064and Bernie Sanders\u200d of Vermont\u2014heavily favored to be reelected.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063third Senate independent, Arizona&#8217;s Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, elected in 2018 as a Democrat before leaving the party in December 2022, faces\u200b a three-way race against Democrat Rep. \u2062Ruben \u2062Gallego (D-Ariz.) and the winner of the Republican primary.<\/p>\n<p>GOP 2022 gubernatorial candidate \u2063Kari Lake has announced\u2064 she \u2063will enter the Republican primary against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and \u2064former gubernatorial \u200dcandidate George Nicholson.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What factors\u200b make Brad Wilson a strong candidate in the\u2062 Republican primary?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Fetz has long been rumored to be considering a run, but has\u2064 not\u2062 made any official announcement. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. has \u2063also \u2062been\u2064 mentioned as a\u2063 possible candidate, but he has not indicated whether he will enter\u200d the race. Other potential contenders \u200dinclude Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson and Attorney General Sean Reyes.<\/p>\n<p>The vacancy left by \u2063Sen. Mitt Romney&#8217;s \u2064upcoming retirement\u200b has attracted significant \u200battention and\u2064 speculation, as \u2064it presents an\u2064 opportunity for\u2064 new leadership in the state. Utah, a traditionally conservative state, has not elected a Democrat to the\u200b Senate since 1977. With the Republican primary being the most\u2063 critical race,\u2063 the outcome of the primary is likely to \u200ddetermine the ultimate winner\u200c of the Senate seat.<\/p>\n<p>Brad Wilson, the current Speaker \u200bof the Utah House of \u200cRepresentatives, is considered the \u2064frontrunner in\u2064 the \u2062Republican primary. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-kamala-harris-ends-french-diplomatic-foray-with-a-little-shopping\/\" title=\"Watch: Kamala Harris Ends French Diplomatic Foray with a Little Shopping\">highest-ranking member<\/a> of the state&#8217;s House, Wilson has gained significant\u2064 name recognition \u2064and support among conservative\u2064 voters. \u200bHis conservative \u2064policies and experience in state government make him an appealing candidate for many Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Trent Skaggs, the Mayor\u200b of Riverton, and Rod Bird Jr., the Mayor of\u200c Roosevelt and founder of an oilfield supply company, \u2063are\u200c also vying for the nomination. Although they may face an \u200buphill battle against Wilson&#8217;s established presence in state politics,\u200b they are actively campaigning and trying to gain support from Republican voters.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the \u2063narrowing field of prospective candidates, it is\u2063 worth noting that\u2062 the\u2063 filing deadline for the \u2062Senate\u2062 race is not until \u2063March. Therefore, there is still\u200c a possibility\u200b for new \u2062contenders to enter\u200c the race, potentially shifting the dynamics and adding\u2063 further competition\u200b to the primary.\u2062 Possible candidates like Chaffetz, \u2062Huntsman Jr., Henderson, and Reyes may still declare \u200ctheir intentions in the coming\u2062 months, adding more excitement and unpredictability to the race.<\/p>\n<p>As the Republican Senate\u200d race in Utah \u200bnarrows with John Curtis declining to run, attention will \u200bturn \u200dto the remaining\u2062 candidates \u200dand their platforms. The primary race is expected to be highly contested and could\u200d ultimately \u200bdetermine\u2064 the future direction of Utah&#8217;s representation in the Senate.\u200b With the conservative dominance\u200c in the state, the winner of the Republican primary will\u2063 likely\u200b be \u2063favored\u200b to secure \u200cthe Senate seat in the general \u200delection, perpetuating the Republican stronghold in Utah politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>declined to join the already competitive race for the U.S. Senate seat in Utah, reducing the pool of potential candidates. As Republican primaries in 34 states become more intense, Utah&#8217;s field seems to be shrinking, with U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) being the latest to announce his decision not to run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":2061852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2061851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2061851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2061852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2061851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2061851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2061851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}