Source: Politics<\/p>\n
John Curtis arrived in the Senate just 16 months ago. He\u2019s already eyeing a possible move back home.<\/p>\n
The Utah Republican\u2019s inner circle is actively canvassing donors and allies in Utah to gauge support for a gubernatorial bid in 2028, according to six people involved with or briefed on the discussions. They were granted anonymity to detail private conversations. His allies have asked donors in recent months to hold off on supporting other gubernatorial candidates until Curtis makes up his mind. And his chief of staff has said his boss is keeping the door open.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Curtis is going to serve where the people of Utah want him to serve,\u201d Corey Norman, Curtis\u2019 chief of staff, told POLITICO.<\/p>\n
Curtis, who replaced former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) last year, has a reputation as a pragmatic dealmaker and moderate voice from his three terms in the U.S. House. But after seeing Washington grow increasingly polarized during his decade there, the former mayor and business executive may see the benefits of returning home.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t love being in the Senate,\u201d said a Utah Republican operative who has discussed Curtis\u2019 political future with him. \u201cTrump\u2019s MAGA base sees him as one of the four squishiest Republicans. He\u2019s basically Mitt without the stature.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing of Curtis\u2019 exploration is tethered to former GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is quietly attempting to clear the 2028 gubernatorial field for himself since Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced he wouldn\u2019t seek a third term. <\/p>\n
A potential Chaffetz-Curtis primary in 2028 would likely mirror the Republican Party\u2019s own ideological battles as it enters its first presidential election without Trump on the ballot in over a decade. Chaffetz is one of the Trump administration’s staunchest defenders on Fox News; Curtis is a self-described \u201cReagan Republican\u201d<\/a> and occasional Trump critic more in the mold of his predecessor, Romney. <\/p>\n Earlier this year, as Chaffetz began asking Utah donors and elected officials to back him, Curtis received an influx of inquiries about a run of his own, according to two people close to the senator, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Curtis first rebuffed the proddings; now, he is actively exploring it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I asked John about this, and the third and fourth and fifth time, his answer was, \u2018Have I said hell no lately?\u2019\u201d said one longtime friend. \u201cAnd now his response has changed dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n Just in the last few weeks, the friend said, \u201cthere has been a very meaningful change in his thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n The ad-hoc team of advisers, friends and longtime allies that are now canvassing donors have a goal of securing $10 million in pledges. Curtis\u2019 current outlook, a second longtime friend said, is, \u201cIf there\u2019s a pathway forward and I felt like it was clear to me that citizens wanted me to do it, then I would do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Curtis, an avid outdoorsman and practicing Latter-day Saint, went on a retreat in the mountains recently to pray and meditate about running, according to the first longtime friend. Now Curtis is planning a 250-mile solo walk across the state to honor the U.S.\u2019 250th anniversary, concluding on July 4 in Provo, Utah, a second person close to the senator said. The walk will give Curtis additional time to meditate on his political future.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Chaffetz, who Curtis replaced in the U.S. House when the former left Congress for a gig on Fox News, is holding regular meetings with local lawmakers and donors across the state to ask for their support, and he\u2019s begun transferring funds from a federal PAC to a state PAC.<\/p>\n \u201cHis pitch is that he is the likely nominee and he invites them to get in early while they still can,\u201d said a second longtime Utah GOP operative who hasn\u2019t chosen sides in the potential primary, granted anonymity to discuss the topic openly. \u201cYou can tell from his finance disclosures that he has had limited success on that front.\u201d Chaffetz did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Keeping the door open now may be an attempt to avoid repeating past mistakes: Curtis initially vowed he wouldn\u2019t run<\/a> for Romney\u2019s seat, but he changed his mind and made a late entry<\/a> into the 2024 GOP primary field after being urged to run by Utah donors, politicos and Romney allies. It was a tough fight, as former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson and others had already locked up supporters across the state. But Curtis rallied and garnered over 50 percent of the vote<\/a> in a crowded primary.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not going to cede early ground to Chaffetz like he did to Wilson in the Senate race,\u201d the second Utah GOP political operative said. \u201cIt\u2019s now to the point where I would be surprised if Curtis doesn\u2019t run.\u201d<\/p>\n Curtis entered the Senate in 2025 amid much fanfare among Trump-skeptical Republicans who hoped he would fill the role of his predecessor, Romney, as a frequent critic of and check on the president. Curtis had earned a reputation during his time in the House as a China hawk and a rare Republican voice supporting conservation, as founder of the House\u2019s Conservative Climate Caucus<\/a>. He was one of the most effective House members, passing 27 bills<\/a> during his three terms.<\/p>\n But the Senate has proved to be a difficult place for a consensus-minded pragmatist like Curtis. He failed to get a seat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee which his fellow Utahn, Sen. Mike Lee, chairs. Though he bucked the Trump administration on several occasions \u2014 he was credited with torpedoing several Trump nominees<\/a>, and he fought to protect clean energy tax credits<\/a> in the One Beautiful Bill Act \u2014 he voted in line with Trump 100% of the time<\/a> in 2025, per VoteHub\u2019s tally. (He eventually relented and voted for the reconciliation package \u2014 with a gradual rollback of some credits included.)<\/p>\n Curtis often tells allies his favorite job was as mayor of Provo, Utah, where he could enact change as the city\u2019s nonpartisan chief executive, according to two other people close to the senator.<\/p>\n Norman, the senator\u2019s longtime chief of staff, has made the rounds on local media hinting that his boss is open to a run for governor. During an appearance on KSL NewsRadio<\/a> on April 9, he said his boss \u201chasn\u2019t said yes, he hasn\u2019t said no.\u201d During an interview with ABC4<\/a> that aired Sunday, Norman was more blunt: \u201cHe is an executive problem solver at heart, and in my opinion, he would make an exceptional governor.\u201d<\/p>\n Curtis could retain his seat in the U.S. Senate while running for governor. If he wins, he would select his successor from three options provided by the state legislature.<\/p>\n There is a growing contingent of Utah politicos who want him in the governor\u2019s mansion.<\/p>\n \u201cChaffetz is the only one out there right now and folks are looking for an alternative that has the ability to beat him,\u201d said a third Utah GOP operative, granted anonymity to speak openly. \u201cIt just sucks that he\u2019s forcing the field to start so early. A two-plus year run for governor is absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n Curtis\u2019 openness about the possibility of a gubernatorial run \u2014 a full two-and-a-half years before November 2028 \u2014 is rankling some allies. The topic arose at a wedding for Romney\u2019s grandson last week, where Romney\u2019s allies and former staffers mingled. They acknowledged Curtis would make a good governor but wanted to see him finish out his term in the Senate, according to one individual present, granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation. \u2028\u2028<\/p>\n But all were frustrated by Curtis\u2019 team signaling at his intentions this early in the cycle. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty early to leak it all out,\u201d the person said. \u201cWay too early.\u201d<\/p>\n