In the race to replace Sen. Romney, Utah weighs a Trump loyalist and a climate-focused congressman

OREM, Utah (AP) — As he led a crowd of picnicking families in the “YMCA” dance, Trent Staggs gleefully waved a “Utah for Trump” flag at a recent campaign rally — one more not-so-subtle reminder to voters that he is backed by the former president in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney.

That endorsement propelled Staggs, who was little known outside the Salt Lake City suburb he leads, to victory at the state’s Republican convention in April, where delegates lean far-right. But his credentials with Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement may not be enough to win Tuesday’s primary, when Utah’s more muted GOP electorate gets its say.

The election will determine whether the state wants another moderate conservative like Romney — U.S. Rep. John Curtis is considered the front-runner in the race — or a farther-right candidate more willing to fall in line with Trump. The vote could have larger implications for how Utah fits in with the evolving dynamics of the national Republican Party, which the former president has largely reshaped in his own image.

“We have somebody in John Curtis who would just be a continuation of Mitt Romney,” Staggs said during the rally at a park just north of Provo, the city where Curtis once was mayor. “I don’t want another senator that has a disharmonious relationship with President Trump.”

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Utah’s state primaries </bsp-custom-headline>