{"id":2216611,"date":"2024-04-09T15:03:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T19:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-romney-allies-are-shaping-the-utah-senate-republican-primary\/"},"modified":"2024-04-09T15:08:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T19:08:23","slug":"how-romney-allies-are-shaping-the-utah-senate-republican-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-romney-allies-are-shaping-the-utah-senate-republican-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"How Supporters of Romney Influence Utah Senate GOP Race"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fhow-romney-allies-are-shaping-the-utah-senate-republican-primary%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=2216611&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--><p>Associates and allies of\u2064 Sen.\u200d Mitt Romney (R-UT) are \u200bsupporting \u200bcentrist candidates in the Utah\u200b Republican\u2063 Senate primary. \u2062The \u2064contenders seek \u200bto balance\u2063 distancing from Romney while portraying themselves \u200bas conservative options.\u2062 Major donors back Rep. John Curtis and former Utah House Speaker \u200cBrad Wilson, shaping \u200ba competitive 2024 race for Romney&#8217;s\u2062 successor. Romney&#8217;s influence and donations \u200cplay a pivotal \u2063role \u200bin this dynamic \u2064primary contest.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Associates and allies of Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitt-romney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mitt Romney <\/a>(R-UT) are backing the two candidates with the most centrist records in the Utah <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican<\/a> Senate primary election, a fine line to walk as the rivals seek to distance themselves from the outgoing senator and portray themselves as the conservative option.<\/p>\n<p>A number of prominent Romney donors and old staffers are backing Rep. John Curtis and former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/utah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Utah<\/a> House Speaker Brad Wilson \u2014 with Wilson inheriting a notable portion of Utah\u2019s donor class, according to a review of campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission. <\/p>\n<p>While the Utah seat is all but certain to maintain its GOP status, the primary is heating up to be one of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle, with a crowded list of Republicans aiming to replace Romney. Many of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/megadonors-pour-record-amount-of-money-into-get-out-the-vote-effort-for-dems\/\" title=\"Megadonors Pour Record Amount of Money Into \u2018Get Out the Vote\u2019 Effort for Dems\">major donors<\/a> within the state have ties to the Utah Republican, who\u2019s well known for bucking his own party \u2014 and an alignment with the outgoing senator could likely be used as fodder for attacks from the Right. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s politically toxic, if you\u2019re trying to win a conservative primary, to inherit Romney\u2019s staff,\u201d a person close to Wilson\u2019s campaign told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIf you want to win, you\u2019ve got to distance yourself from Romney as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the FEC filings, many of Wilson\u2019s campaign contributors are some of Romney\u2019s most well-known supporters. The donors include Utah real estate developer Kem Gardner, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2012\/07\/romney-kem-gardner-2002-olympics-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>one of Romney\u2019s closest friends<\/a>, along with his wife Carolyn Barnes Gardner and other members of the prominent Gardner family, who have given $39,600 in total. Dan Hemmert, a former Republican state senator who recruited Romney to run for Senate in 2017, donated the maximum of $9,900, along with his wife, Natalie Hemmert. Scott Keller, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-than-enough-blame-to-go-around\/\" title=\"More Than Enough Blame To Go Around\">real estate mogul<\/a> who also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houseboatmagazine.com\/2014\/02\/a-keller-homecoming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>worked to get Romney in the White House,<\/a> also donated $2,500. <\/p>\n<p>Gail Miller, a billionaire who owns the Larry H. Miller Group and a former majority owner of the Utah Jazz NBA team, and other members of the Miller family contributed $23,100 to Wilson\u2019s campaign. The group, in March 2022, purchased Wilson\u2019s real estate construction company, Destination Homes \u2014 one of the biggest homebuilders in the state. The details of the acquisition amount were not disclosed. But $1.8 million has flowed from Wilson\u2019s personal coffers into his campaign. <\/p>\n<p>Wilson\u2019s campaign manager, Caleb Worthen, was also Romney\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-election-integrity-chief-gop-to-curb-fraud-in-2022-midterms\/\" title=\"RNC Election Integrity Chief: GOP to curb fraud in 2022 midterms\">regional field director<\/a> during his 2012 presidential bid. <\/p>\n<p>But Romney\u2019s camp is not just involved in Wilson\u2019s campaign. A number of alumni staffers and donors tied to the Utah Republican held a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/721316555\/content?start_page=1&#038;view_mode=scroll&#038;access_key=key-ZIt7eapFQeYmKGgLsMWZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>January fundraiser<\/a> for Curtis shortly after he announced he would run. One notable host was Spencer Zwick, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2012\/12\/barack-obama-mitt-romney-both-topped-1-billion-in-2012-084737\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>raised more than a billion dollars<\/a> as Romney\u2019s finance chairman for his 2012 presidential bid. Other people listed on the fundraiser include Matt Waldrip, Romney\u2019s former campaign manager and previous chief of staff in the Senate, and Alex Dunn, who served as Romney\u2019s chief of staff during his governorship in Massachusetts. Zwick had <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/ballot-box\/senate-races\/240180-romney-finance-director-backs-possible-lee-primary-challenger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>previously urged Dunn<\/a> to launch a primary challenge to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in 2015. <\/p>\n<p>Keller, who donated to Wilson\u2019s campaign, had hosted the event as well. <\/p>\n<p>Curtis\u2019s campaign filings haven\u2019t been made public yet, but they will be made available later in April. <\/p>\n<p>Along with inheriting Romney\u2019s donors, Wilson has also hired national political consulting agencies PoolHouse and Axiom Strategies for their services \u2014 underlining his efforts to raise his profile as he lags in the polls. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/2024\/1\/31\/24049841\/poll-utah-republican-primary-race-mitt-romney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>first poll of Utah\u2019s Senate race<\/a>, Curtis was in the lead for Republican voters with 18% of the vote \u2014 with Wilson falling in third with 8% of the vote, behind Brent Hatch, an attorney and the son of former Sen. Orrin Hatch, at 14%. Mayor Trent Staggs of Riverton, Utah, garnered 3% of support.<\/p>\n<p>Romney <a href=\"https:\/\/poolhouse.co\/work\/romney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>previously hired Poolhouse<\/a> to orchestrate his media strategy during his 2018 Senate bid, and the agency had also previously worked for Curtis. <\/p>\n<p>Utah\u2019s political talent pool is relatively small, and its political circles are tight. It\u2019s to be expected that the different campaigns will likely have a mix of donors and staffers that overlap, ranging from different ends of the ideological spectrum. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/individual-contributions\/?contributor_name=scott+keller&#038;contributor_employer=keller+investment+properties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Keller donated to both Lee and Romney in 2022. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>But even as Wilson is tapping into Romney\u2019s old campaign infrastructure, the former state lawmaker is distancing himself from his more centrist record \u2014 painting himself as closer to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on the political spectrum than to Romney in hopes of clutching the Republican nomination. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaljournal.com\/s\/723403\/in-ruby-red-utah-replacing-romney-could-turn-into-fight-for-soul-of-gop\/?unlock=QUY4UY8QAYT8YC4R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>In an interview <\/a>with the <em>National Journal, <\/em>Wilson stated that he sees \u201cthe world through a similar lens\u201d as Lee. However, his record shows that he\u2019s more centrist than Lee \u2014 closer to Romney.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone who knows Mitt Romney and anyone who knows Brad Wilson knows that they are much more aligned on issues than what the public perception is,\u201d a state lawmaker told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>\u201cI think Brad is trying to distance himself from Mitt Romney right now \u2026 and the only reason why he\u2019s doing that is because Mitt is not very popular in Utah. But he wants the machine of Mitt Romney behind him.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>According to a legislative analysis from the Conservative Political Action Conference, Wilson\u2019s lifetime score stands at 71.4. It hit a low of 57 during his first year as Utah House speaker but has generally increased as time goes on. His all-time high came in 2017, with a score of 85. Romney\u2019s lifetime score is 62.3, while Lee has a nearly perfect score of 99. <\/p>\n<p>And a closer look at his record underlines his centrist leanings. In 2019, Wilson had <a href=\"https:\/\/utahpolicy.com\/archive\/25771-utah-compact-on-racial-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>signed a Utah compact<\/a> that committed the signatories to uphold \u201canti-racist\u201d principles and actions. But Republicans have attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as a cultural affront \u2014 and Wilson has since joined in, calling it \u201ca threat to our country\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.net\/news\/government\/2024\/mar\/12\/republican-candidates-for-us-senate-introduce-themselves-at-weber-county-forum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>during a Weber County Republican Women forum.<\/a> In 2021, Wilson supported a <a href=\"https:\/\/le.utah.gov\/~2021\/bills\/static\/SB0164.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bipartisan bill <\/a>that gives grants to help developers create low-income housing in rural areas and for tenants having trouble paying their rent. And in 2020, Wilson voted for a <a href=\"https:\/\/le.utah.gov\/~2020\/bills\/static\/HB0396.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bill that enacts a $50 million electric vehicle charging infrastructure program. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, in more recent years, the former Utah House speaker has leaned into more conservative pursuits \u2014 passing several bills that would enact restrictions on abortions following the overturn of <em>Roe v. Wade,<\/em> overseeing the largest tax cut in state history, and passing <a href=\"https:\/\/le.utah.gov\/~2022\/bills\/static\/HB0011.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>a bill that would prohibit a student of the male sex<\/a> who identifies as a transgender woman from participating in women\u2019s sports. <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>But Wilson\u2019s distancing himself from Romney is a subtle acknowledgement that an alignment with the current senator could prove politically disadvantageous in the hunt for the Republican nomination. Romney has frequently faced GOP criticism for bucking his own party, most notably by twice voting to convict former President Donald Trump in impeachment proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Other candidates in the race are looking to distance themselves from Romney. But Curtis, notably, is looking to dissociate himself from both of the incumbent senators. <br \/><strong><br \/><\/strong>\u201cIf people are expecting me to be Mitt Romney, I\u2019ll disappoint them. And if they\u2019re expected me to be Mike Lee, I\u2019ll disappoint them,\u201d he told Utah publication <em>Deseret News<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/2024\/1\/2\/24017720\/rep-john-curtis-running-to-replace-mitt-romney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>back in January<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m John Curtis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a brief interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in March, Romney mentioned that while he was not in favor of one candidate over the other, he would be \u201chappy to see Brad Wilson or John Curtis\u201d in the Senate. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUtah is fortunate to have several candidates who are interested in serving in the Senate, and Senator Romney appreciates their willingness to serve,\u201d Liz Johnson, Romney\u2019s chief of staff, said in a later statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cHe is staying out of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the senator is not issuing an endorsement, his former camp is elevating candidates that could follow in Romney\u2019s footsteps if they choose to work with centrists in the Senate. It\u2019s a shrinking group, now that Romney, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) are retiring from the upper chamber. <\/p>\n<p>Other prominent members of Utah\u2019s political circles are getting involved in the primary. Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc4.com\/news\/utah-gov-spencer-cox-backs-brad-wilson-in-race-for-romneys-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>endorsed Wilson<\/a> \u2014 and went as far as to discourage Curtis from running at all during a meeting between him, Cox, and Wilson, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Cox\u2019s comment followed Curtis\u2019s sudden announcement to run after issuing an op-ed in which he said he would do<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/utah\/2023\/10\/2\/23900707\/utah-john-curtis-romney-senate-seat-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> the opposite. <\/a>According to the sources, Curtis\u2019s response was something to the likes of: \u201cWell, watch me.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Curtis declined to comment on the conversation. A spokesperson for Cox\u2019s office denied the conversation having taken place with Curtis and Wilson. <\/p>\n<p>Curtis, who is well-known in Hill circles for founding the Conservative Climate Caucus, has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-republicans-launch-stop-stacey-effort-ahead-of-possible-abrams-2022-announcement\/\" title=\"GA Republicans Launch \u2018Stop Stacey\u2019 Effort Ahead Of Possible Abrams 2022 Announcement\">gained national attention<\/a> as a rare Republican who backs policies to combat rising carbon emissions. He first stepped onto the Hill in 2018, launching the group in 2021 with just 40 members \u2014 and doubling its membership in three years. <\/p>\n<p>Ten candidates have filed to run in Utah\u2019s Republican Senate primary, including Staggs, Hatch, political adviser Carolyn Phippen, and pest control business owner Jason Walton.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Mitt Romney&#8217;s associates support the moderate contenders in the Utah GOP Senate primary, challenging the need to balance their centrist stance with distancing from the current senator and projecting themselves as conservative choices. Notable Romney donors back this strategic move, highlighting a delicate dynamic in the upcoming election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2668,"featured_media":2216612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP23271045896400-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2216611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP23271045896400-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216611","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\/2668"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2216611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2216612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2216611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2216611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2216611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}