Utah speaker touts endorsement ahead of possible Romney challenge

Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson (R) touted endorsements from dozens of state lawmakers ahead of a possible primary challenge for Republican Sen. Mitt Romney’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024.

“I am honored and encouraged to have the support of so many leaders from all corners of this great state,” Wilson said in a press release on Thursday. “Utah needs a bold, conservative fighter in the U.S. Senate and I am humbled at the support and encouragement we’ve received so quickly.” 

Wilson listed endorsements from more than 60 members of the Utah House and Senate, who are “encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate.” 

The list includes endorsements from about three-quarters of state House Republicans and from more than two-thirds of Utah Senate Republicans, according to the press release. 

House Majority Leader Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams are among the legislators listed as endorsing Wilson’s potential Senate bid. 

Wilson is considering challenging Romney, who has filed for a second term serving the U.S. Senate in 2024. Romney, a conservative lawmaker, has been a vocal critic of former President Trump and has exhibited an independent voting streak throughout his first term.

Romney was the sole Republican senator who voted to convict Trump the first time he was impeached. Romney voted again to convict the former president again, when he was impeached after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He also said he did not vote for Trump in the 2020 election.

Romney narrowly avoided being censured at the Utah GOP convention in 2021, following his vote to impeach Trump. The measure – which cited both of Romney’s conviction votes and was filled with conspiracy theories about Biden and the election – failed 711-798. Romney earlier had been censured by a Utah county Republican party.

Romney already faces primary challenges, including from Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs. 

Wilson has filed as a candidate for the U.S. Senate but called his campaign “Brad Wilson Exploratory Committee,” he told KSL NewsRadio last month. 

Wilson told the local radio news outlet in July that he has not yet decided if he is running, but that, “We created an exploratory committee under the framework of being a candidate, so we don’t actually have to do anything by the 15th,” referring to the Federal Election Commission filing deadline. 

“All we will do in the fall if we choose to run a full campaign is we will go into the [FEC] and we will change the name of the committee to a full campaign,” he told the outlet.

Updated at 4:32 p.m.