Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs has released a new ad in his effort to unseat Senator Mitt Romney.
The Utah mayor is running a grassroots campaign against the 70-year-old outspoken anti-Trump politician.
In the new ad, Staggs pointed to his achievements in cutting spending, reducing taxes, and saving the city of Riverton millions of dollars.
“Challenging an incumbent senator isn’t easy, but we can do it with your help,” the mayor and senate candidate says.
“I’m under no delusions that running against one of the wealthiest incumbents in the country will be easy,” the mayor told Timcast News. “Right now, we’re building a coalition and need everyone willing to help to go to our website and join us! Romney may have the establishment, but we have the grassroots army that will out-work him. ”
In 2018, Romney spent nearly $5.2 million on his campaign.
“The June 2024 primary campaign will overlap with the GOP’s presidential primary season, and should Romney run, Trump’s presence in that race will likely further focus attention on his criticism of the ex-president,” the Associated Press reported in April, prior to Staggs’ campaign announcement. “Romney’s willingness to buck his own party has routinely angered GOP activists in Utah and but did little to puncture support for him in his last Senate primary in 2018, when he lost a state party convention ballot but ultimately won with voters in the primary itself, by almost 43 percentage points.”
An April Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found that 44 percent of Utah voters disapprove of the job Romney is doing representing their state. The pollsters noted that “Romney continues to struggle with the most conservative members in his own party, which could make him vulnerable in the Republican primary.”
In a video announcing his candidacy in May, Staggs pointed out that we currently have more IRS agents than border agents and that Americans face astronomically high gas prices as our politicians continue sending money to Ukraine.
“Washington is broken, and every time we compromise, it costs us trillions. We have more IRS agents than border agents, and while we’re paying four dollars a gallon for gas, they’re sending money unchecked to Ukraine. We’re almost $32 trillion in debt. Enough is enough,” Staggs asserted.
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
The Utah mayor said that Romney moved to Utah and campaigned on fighting illegal immigration, balancing the budget, and confirming judges that follow the Constitution — but that isn’t what he did.
“A few years ago Mitt Romney moved to Utah and told us what he’d fight for. But they only things I’ve seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt,” Staggs said.
Utah Mayor Trent Staggs is running against Mitt Romney.
Improve the Senate.
Give Romney the boot.pic.twitter.com/ziC9SQFEFB
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 23, 2023
Staggs explained in the video that he has a track record of fighting big government, including opposing lockdowns during COVID-19. His campaign website states that his primary focus is on smaller government, safer families, and a more robust economy.
