Utah
Millions are pouring into Utah GOP Senate race. Most has gone to 1 candidate
As Utah moves full-throttle toward the June 25 primary, campaigns and political groups have poured millions of dollars into ads for Republican Senate candidates running for the seat currently held by Sen. Mitt Romney.
The seat is considered safe for the Republican nominee by The Cook Political Report, so the race could be all but over in the next few weeks. Ballots for the primary are already hitting Utah mailboxes so the four Senate candidates are making their last minute pitches to Republican voters.
Rep. John Curtis, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, Moxie Pest Control CEO Jason Walton and former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson all rolled out new ads following the state convention, but these last few weeks are critical as the candidates make their final case to Republican voters.
As of the latest FEC filings from early April, more than $16.8 million had been spent in the Republican primary by candidates as well as outside groups, according to Open Secrets. Many millions more have likely been spent in the weeks since as voters are bombarded with mail, digital, print and TV ads.
The next deadline for candidates to file reports with the FEC is 12 days before the primary election, or June 13.
Now that Utahns have their ballots, the last couple weeks are critical for candidates moving forward. By law, super PACs cannot coordinate with campaigns. But following where those groups are spending their money can tell you a thing or two about the election.
Curtis is ‘actively engaging with supporters’
Among the candidates, Curtis has received the vast majority of support from outside spenders, with over $6.6 million spent to boost his campaign from political action committees, which are not allowed to coordinate with candidates’ campaigns.
The latest reports available show Conservative Values for Utah, a PAC that has only supported Curtis, has spent $4.6 million on behalf of his campaign, according to Open Secrets. Among the several donations the PAC has received, the largest was from Jay Faison, the head of a conservative clean energy group, while another came from Robert Walton, one of Walmart founder Sam Walton’s heirs.
Defend American Jobs has spent more than $1.5 million to support Curtis, in addition to other Republican candidates across the country. It is funded by venture capital firms which concentrate on infrastructure, cryptocurrency and technology.
A PAC focused on ClearPath Action Fund had previously announced it was launching a $500,000 effort to aid Curtis in his senatorial bid.
Meanwhile, Curtis has raised over $2.7 million for his campaign, according to the latest FEC reports, and has spent about $1.8 million. He has run a slew of digital and television ads focused on fiscal responsibility, border security and lands issues.
One of the ads shows Curtis sporting a plaid flannel shirt talking to a rancher and clips of the Utah outdoors. The narrator speaks about how Curtis has helped Utah reclaim land from the federal government.
Another ad shows portraits and footage of Curtis at the southern border. He says that drugs are coming into Utah from across the border and his plan to stop them is to hire more agents, stop the cartels and secure the border.
Curtis has also been the target of negative campaign ads.
Early on in the race, Utahns for Liberty spent tens of thousands of dollars against Curtis. Among the group’s funders was Utah state House Speaker Mike Schultz. The group ran an ad criticizing Curtis on the border.
“Congressman Curtis’ campaign is actively engaging with supporters who share his values and vision for Utah,” Corey Norman, chief of staff for Curtis, told the Deseret News. “We’re grateful for the generosity of those who contribute as it allows us to amplify our conservative message and reach more people.”
Staggs says he has a ‘grassroots army’ supporting him
The Protect Freedom PAC, founded by former campaign staffers for Ron and Rand Paul, has spent $531,538 for Staggs, per Open Secrets. The vast majority of that money is directed toward cable and television ads, while there’s also some for digital support.
Staggs has also raised more than $920,000 according to the latest filings, while spending about half of that amount.
In a recent ad, Staggs touted his endorsement from former president Donald Trump, while criticizing Romney and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Sporting an American flag pin, a grey jacket and blue jeans, Staggs stands in front of an off-white screen declaring he’ll stand his ground agains the establishment and secure the border.
In a statement to the Deseret News, Staggs said, “I’m grateful to the over 7,000 donors that have contributed to my campaign. While opponents are funded by mega donors and special interests, we’ve raised more in small dollar donations than anyone else in the race. Our campaign isn’t funded by special interests. It’s funded by concerned parents, voters and people looking to keep the American Dream alive.”
“While that’s given us the ability to advertise on TV, digital and every other way possible, now it’s also given us a grassroots army knocking doors, making calls and texting their neighbors,” continued Staggs. “Utahns are hungry for an everyday Utahn. They’re hungry for America First policies, and that’s what I offer as a senator.”
Staggs has also been the subject of negative campaign ads.
The Hometown Freedom Action Network has spent thousands on mailers that characterize Staggs as “woke.” The group also spent money against Curtis. The group’s donors haven’t been disclosed yet.
One of the anti-Staggs mailers depicts a police car that was set on fire. “Trent Staggs caved in to the rioters,” said the ad. It was sent ahead of convention and claimed Staggs had a “weak, woke record.”
At the time, Staggs responded to the ad by saying “lies and smears aren’t the ‘Utah way.’”
Walton plans to keep ‘aggressively advertising’
A spokesperson for the Walton campaign told the Deseret News that the campaign plans on “aggressively advertising” over the next couple of weeks.
Walton has raised over $2.7 million, of which $2.5 million was a loan from Walton to his own campaign.
“We just increased our media buys on television and radio and also on social media,” said the spokesperson, adding that fundraising has gone well, but a campaign is expensive and they won’t be turning away prospective donors.
The campaign plans on “sticking to our simple message about fixing the economy, lowering prices on food and gas and homes, and trying to get runaway inflation under control and also fixing the border crisis.”
One of Walton’s ads shows the business executive at the Arizona-Mexico border criticizing President Joe Biden and “career politicians” for failing to secure the border while also funding foreign wars.
“Our government should defend our territory,” said Walton.
On May 31, an invoice was uploaded on the Federal Communications Commission website showing ad buys for Walton on ABC4 Utah into late May.
Wilson focuses on being a ‘grassroots campaign’
Wilson, who announced his campaign back in September 2023, has loaned his campaign around $2.8 million, while raising almost another $2 million from donors.
Wilson’s pitched himself as a conservative fighter who will “leave the cowardly RINOs” behind, as one of his ads says. RINO is a term that means Republican in Name Only. This television ad depicts Wilson in a 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS zooming past a Corvette with a Biden license plate with the Utah mountains and desert in the background.
From August 2023 to April 2024, FEC filings show Wilson spending over $600,000 with Flexpoint Media Inc. and Arena Mail & Digital LLC for both media placements and digital advertisements.
Wilson’s spending from late May and June will show up in later FEC filings.
The Deseret News learned that outside groups haven’t spent anything supporting or opposing Wilson recently. As for Wilson’s campaign, the last invoice available on the Federal Communications Commission website for Wilson on ABC4 Utah was uploaded on May 21 and shows Wilson ads purchased through late May. As for KSL, there were four invoices uploaded showing ad purchases throughout April and into late May.
The campaign has been out in the field knocking doors six days a week, a source with the Wilson campaign told the Deseret News.
“We have the best grassroots support and ground game out of any of the campaigns and we appreciate everyone’s support,” said the source. “Our team on average knocks over 2,000 doors per week.”
When asked specifically if the campaign plans on buying more ads, the source did not specify either way.
The candidate who wins the Republican Senate primary will square off against Democratic candidate Caroline Gleich in the general election.
SANDY — Vibes were as high as the temperature in some cases as thousands gathered at Real Salt Lake’s home stadium to cheer on the United States’ 2-0 win over Australia in the second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fernando Sanchez took it all in, between belts of his drum standing in front of more than 4,000 people at the Sandy stadium.
“I was born and raised in Mexico City,” said Sanchez, who hosts a podcast called the “Fercho Show” from his current home in Utah. “But I’m from the U.S. now.”
Four years after scoring just two goals in three group games before a 3-1 exit to the Netherlands in the Round of 16, the United States is flying under Mauricio Pochettino, exciting fans across the country — from the sellout crowd at 69,000-seat Lumen Field in Seattle to watch parties around the world, including Friday in Sandy.
“The vibe is amazing,” Sanchez told KSL.com. “You can see all of the people who came out, everybody is happy because this World Cup means so much for Utah, for everybody. It’s the best of the best from each country fighting on the field. That’s what it feels like, and it’s so good to be part of this game.”
Less than 24 hours after some 9,200 fans showed up at America First Field for Mexico’s 1-0 win over South Korea, Real Salt Lake employees braced to host as many as 6,000 American fans who submitted an RSVP to spend a portion of the Juneteenth holiday in 94-degree weather.
In-game hydration breaks became as much of a necessity for fans as the players in Seattle, with hundreds flooding the open hydration stations, concessions area, and a few food trucks at each “quarter break” installed by FIFA for the first time at a men’s World Cup.
While final attendance dropped to around 4,500 fans in Sandy, the spirits remained high as Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Paraguay in the World Cup opener, forced the opening goal off Australia’s Cameron Burgess.
Alex Freeman, the son of former Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman who at 21 is the youngest player on the roster, doubled the advantage in the 43rd minute off a set piece that was initially ruled offside.
But after a lengthy video review where fans refused to sit down, pandemonium ensued as the U.S. fans in Sandy recognized their national team was moments away from clinching passage out of the group in the first men’s World Cup on home soil since 1994.
It’s the first time the United States men’s national team has won consecutive games at a World Cup tournament since 1930.
Yet it’s not just the wins, but how the Yanks are winning that has Americans excited about a sport that has made significant strides domestically in three decades since the founding of Major League Soccer.
The U.S. is winning with an exciting brand of attacking soccer led by Balogun, who grew up in England but chose to represent the country of his birth over his parents’ native Nigeria in 2023, and Christian Pulisic, the AC Milan winger with 33 goals in 87 international appearances from Pennsylvania who did not play Friday due to a calf injury.
“There’s a lot of American pride,” said St. George youth soccer player Tate Hurst, who showed up to the watch party with a half-dozen club teammates at Fire SC during Western Presidents Cup regional this weekend. “The American dream.”
Sunburn, heat and hydration aside, the moment created a memory for thousands of soccer fans and casuals alike. That included RSL season ticket holders, waiting until the end of the month-long international break for the club’s MLS season to resume in July.
But for one afternoon — and perhaps another, as the club plans to host a similar watch party next Thursday when the United States hosts Türkiye in Los Angeles (8 p.m. MT, FS1) — each soccer fan was pulling for the same team.
Except, perhaps, for the dozen or so Australia fans in the corner of the east lawn who represented their own Socceroos for the entire 90 minutes.
“Soccer brings everybody together,” one RSL staff member said over the public-address system as fans headed for the parking lot while James Brown’s “Living in America” blasted over the sound system after the full-time whistle. “That’s what today was all about.”
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah athletics is making a notable change to the Huntsman Center gameday setup, but the move is about more than where the team sits.
The Runnin’ Utes are moving the team bench from the east side of the Jon M. Huntsman Center to the west side, returning the bench to the side it occupied during the Rick Majerus era. The change will also move the MUSS and band from the west side to the east side.
The shift is part of a larger effort by Utah Athletics to improve the student-section experience, create a more consistent setup inside the Huntsman Center and better connect the arena to the university’s growing College Town Magic initiative.
Enhancing The MUSS And Fan Experience
Nowlin said the primary motivation behind the change is improving the MUSS and the overall fan experience.
“The reason we’re doing this is we want to enhance the MUSS,” Utah’s Deputy Athletics Director & Chief Revenue Officer, Patrick Nowlin said. “As an ongoing effort, we’ve been working on for the past two years, how do we enhance the fan experience?”
One issue Utah identified was that the MUSS had been located in different areas for different events. Moving the student section and band to the east side gives the department a more consistent location to build around.
“We wanted to create a better fan experience,” Nowlin said. “We wanted to be able to have one spot that we can build on, which means we can brand. We can enhance everything about it.”
The move also ties directly into College Town Magic. Nowlin said the area around the Huntsman Center will include more than 2,900 total beds, including more than 1,400 new beds, giving students a direct path from nearby housing to the student-section entrance.
“There’s over 2,900 new beds that are right there, which will be right at the branded entrance, right where the student section is,” Nowlin said. “They don’t have to go far at all. So it’s just a walk straight down from the dorm, right in the door.”
And according to Utah’s Patrick Nowlin, the move is not limited to men’s basketball.
“It’s not just men’s basketball. It’s all Huntsman Center events,” Nowlin said.
A Nod To Utah Basketball History
While the move is primarily about fan experience, there is also a clear basketball-history component.
The west-side bench location is where Utah sat during the Majerus era, when the Runnin’ Utes were one of the top programs in the country and the Huntsman Center had a different level of edge. Alex Jensen was part of that era as a player, and now, as Utah’s head coach, the move reconnects the current program with one of its most successful periods.
Nowlin said the historical connection was part of the conversation, even if it was not solely Jensen’s decision.
“Yeah, it’s a nod to history,” Nowlin said. “I think Alex, him being here, he’s a steward of the program. There’s a lot of history to having it on that side.”
Still, Nowlin made clear the change was not simply pushed through by Jensen.
“It wasn’t a push from him,” Nowlin said. “It was a concerted effort from everybody to where, how do we create an area that the MUSS can have, but also how do we lean into our history, but still move forward in a way that we can honor that, but create an unbelievable environment.”
That is the heart of the move. Utah is trying to bring back a piece of its basketball identity while also reworking the building for the future.
How Fans Will Be Impacted
The change will affect some season-ticket holders, donors and fans seated near the current bench, MUSS and band areas, but Utah tried to limit the disruption.
Nowlin said the department spent months working through the seating impact and expects fewer than 200 accounts to be directly affected. Those accounts are in sections T, U and V.
“This wasn’t something that just came about,” Nowlin said. “We’ve been working on this for a few months now, and we wanted to find a way that we could minimize the accounts that were directly impacted, but still create the fan experience change we were after.”
Utah’s plan is to work individually with affected fans and mirror their seat location as closely as possible on the other end of the court.
“If you’re on one end and now you’re going on the other end, we will work with you to get you in the seat that is similar to where you were and allow you to have the same experience you’ve had, just on the other end of the court,” Nowlin said.
Utah will also hold a virtual seat-selection process from July 7-17, allowing fans who want to move to choose from available options.
“We’re going to take care of everybody, but we’re also going to allow people the choice and the freedom to be able to make the changes they want to make,” Nowlin said. “We want to create every opportunity we can to give our fans opportunities to choose their own experience.”
Not Part Of The Huntsman Renovation
The bench and MUSS move is not directly tied to the larger Huntsman Center renovation discussions. Nowlin said the change is instead connected to College Town Magic and Utah’s effort to improve the student and fan experience inside the building.
“It does not have to do with the renovation, but it does have to do with College Town Magic,” Nowlin said.
The move could create some new seating and premium opportunities, particularly around courtside and floor seating. Nowlin said Utah is still evaluating those possibilities.
“By doing this, this will create additional opportunities for us on courtside and floor,” Nowlin said. “We’re also looking to how do we enhance our premium experience across the board. So this is a step in a process that will continue.”
The Bottom Line
Utah’s bench move is not just a nostalgic callback to the Rick Majerus era, and it is not just a seating chart adjustment. It is part of a broader effort to reshape the Huntsman Center experience.
The team bench is moving back to the west side, where Utah sat during some of the program’s most successful years. The MUSS and band are moving to the east side, where Utah believes it can build a stronger, more consistent student-section identity tied to College Town Magic.
For Utah Athletics, it is another step toward rethinking how the Huntsman Center looks, sounds and feels on game day. For Jensen, the move reconnects the program to its winning past.
The symbolism will matter to longtime Utah basketball fans. The logistics will matter to students, band members and season-ticket holders. But the larger goal is simple: make the building feel more intentional, more connected and more like home again.
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
Take us with you, wherever you go. Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.
SALT LAKE CITY – The San Juan County assessor has resigned partway through his second term, following a recommendation that he be removed from office.
Rick Meyer’s resignation became effective on Monday, according to San Juan County Commissioner Lori Maughan. A copy of Meyer’s resignation letter was not immediately available.
This comes after the Utah State Tax Commission determined that Meyer had failed to follow the law and was “unfit to perform his duties.” In a letter last week to San Juan County commissioners, the tax commission recommended “the immediate removal of the San Juan County assessor from office to protect the public interest and restore the integrity of the property tax system in San Juan County.”
Among other things, Meyer was accused of failing to tax agricultural buildings, misclassifying property, and giving property tax exemptions to certain parcels, including vacant land, when he shouldn’t have.
The recommendation to remove Meyer from office was the first under a recent state law giving the Utah State Tax Commission more power to take corrective action against county assessors who aren’t doing their jobs properly. Assessors play a major role in the property tax process by determining the value of property throughout their counties.
Yet, it was unclear whether the San Juan County Commission could have actually removed Meyer from office had he not stepped down.
With Meyer’s resignation, the San Juan County Assessor’s Office has just one employee left. Deputy assessor Nathan Pitts will run the office until the San Juan County Republican Party recommends a replacement and the County Commission appoints one.
“It’s me holding down the fort here,” Pitts told KSL on Thursday, noting that he has spoken with the Utah Association of Counties and the state tax commission about plans for this interim period. “Everybody’s on board to assist and try to make it the best as we can, (but) I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me.”
Pitts said he does not plan to run for county assessor to replace his old boss.
“That is not my intention at all,” he said. “I’m quite content as a deputy assessor.”
Meyer was first elected as San Juan County assessor in 2020 and won reelection in 2024. His current term was set to conclude in 2029.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
-
Sports8 minutes agoDodgers’ walk-off stuns Orioles as Dalton Rushing helps cap wild comeback
-
World20 minutes agoTrump doubles down on Meloni photo comments
-
News44 minutes agoThe Real Love Company made her feel whole. Then ‘Daddy’ said to strip naked.
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoWoman, man found shot to death in Pomona, suspect leads officers on erratic chase
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoToday in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoSan Francisco hotels see steady World Cup business, but fall short of Super Bowl surge
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoDallas International Piano Competition brings finalists June 23
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoWhere to watch San Francisco Giants vs Miami Marlins: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 20
