Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican whose party affiliation is suspected by many to be in name only, has a growing problem.
His headache began in May when Trent Staggs, the mayor of Riverton, Utah, announced that he was aiming to take the senator’s seat.
Staggs came out swinging with a biting critique of Romney, which proved to be just a taste of what was to come.
“Utah needs another proven fighter and conservative in the Senate,” Staggs wrote on Twitter. “We need someone unafraid to stand against the Washington establishment.”
“I’m not a career politician or a Massachusetts millionaire,” Staggs said in the accompanying campaign launch video. “I’m a mayor, a businessman, husband and father who wants his children to grow up with the same opportunities that I did.”
Utah needs another proven fighter and conservative in the Senate. We need someone unafraid to stand against the Washington establishment. That’s who I am, but I need your help to get there https://t.co/yg5tnTG4mV pic.twitter.com/qof9JQYi7C
— Mayor Trent Staggs (@MayorStaggs) May 23, 2023
Staggs’ announcement was an instant hit. People flooded the comments with support for the mayor, propelling the video to over 1 million views.
Romney’s challenger made waves and earned a key endorsement less than two weeks after announcing his Senate bid.
A release from the Utah Fraternal Order of Police obtained by KUTV-TV announced that the cop union had given its unanimous support to Staggs.
The endorsement didn’t happen in a vacuum, it seems, but was actually sought out by the Riverton mayor.
“In light of the attacks on law enforcement in recent years, the very first endorsement I sought out was the Fraternal Order of Police,” Staggs told KUTV.
“I wanted our local officers to know they’d always have my support, and I’m honored to have theirs. They deserve a Senator who is willing to stand beside them rather than march against them.”
The public’s apparently favorable opinion of Staggs and the police union endorsement are small but key victories on his path to Washington, D.C.
Law and order is, of course, a winning point with nearly every American, and certainly with any conservative. And even before Staggs’ announcement, Romney was busy alienating constituents with attacks on fellow Republicans.
Now the mayor is issuing a major challenge that the sitting senator might find difficult to accept: Staggs wants a debate.
“You can defend your support for raising the debt ceiling, voting in [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] and Kentaji Brown Jackson, and many other bad votes,” Staggs tweeted on Thursday.
“I’ll explain why Americans DO deserve America First policies and a small federal government. You in?”
Hey @MittRomney, let’s debate.
You can defend your support for raising the debt ceiling, voting in Mayorkas and Kentaji Brown Jackson, and many other bad votes.
I’ll explain why Americans DO deserve America First policies and a small federal government. You in? https://t.co/7ok7kPP100
— Mayor Trent Staggs (@MayorStaggs) July 27, 2023
It’s easy to see why Romney, who reportedly has to disguise himself to avoid conservatives angered by his kneecapping of former President Donald Trump, would want to avoid having to explain a voting record that places America last.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Romney has already filed paperwork for a re-election campaign, but his plans for 2024 remain unknown.
While we don’t know how or even if Romney will be looking to defend his Senate seat, it’s clear he has a fight on his hands as Staggs continues to win support throughout the Beehive State.
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