Not every Republican in Congress puts America first. Many are Democrats with an “R” next to their names.
And Mitt Romney just received a chilling report about his future.
Former presidential candidate and current Senator Mitt Romney is the definition of a Republican in name only.
He betrayed Donald Trump and pitched his tent firmly in Democrat camp long ago.
But now he needs to watch his own back.
Because a Utah mayor has announced his intention to run for the Senate seat now held by Mitt Romney in the state’s 2024 Senate race, making him the first candidate to oppose the Republican senator should he seek re-election.
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, a Republican who rose to prominence in 2020 for his opposition to mask mandates in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, said he wants to preserve the country that his children will inherit.
“I love my children, and I’m worried about the country they will inherit if I sit on the sidelines,” Staggs told Fox News Digital. “For too long, we’ve allowed government bureaucrats to spend away the next generation’s future, and we need more voices willing to push back.”
Romney filed FEC papers last month, possibly as a preliminary step toward a re-election bid, but his chief of staff informed local media that he had not made a final decision.
When asked why he believes Romney may not be an effective leader for the state, Staggs said, “Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt.”
“He votes to impeach President Trump but then has the nerve to confirm a radical justice like Ketanji Brown Jackson and incompetent cabinet members like open border [DHS Sec. Alejandro] Mayorkas,” Staggs added.
Staggs became the first individual to formally challenge Romney in the election by announcing his candidacy. Romney has alienated many supporters within his own party for his rationale and support for certain policies and measures.
“Mitt Romney fits in the Senate much better than I do. We’ve elected far too many people who ‘fit in’ in Washington. I’m not going to Washington to make friends, I’m going to make change,” Staggs declared.
In his first campaign video, released Tuesday, Staggs touted his candidacy in the Senate race and insisted “Washington is broken.”
“We have more IRS agents than border agents, and while we’re paying $4 a gallon for gas, they’re sending our money unchecked to Ukraine,” Staggs said in the ad. “Now we’re almost $32 trillion in debt. Enough is enough.”
“A few years ago, Mitt Romney moved to Utah and told us what he would fight for,” said Staggs, whose message was backed by flashbacks of Romney’s vows before he was elected to the Senate in the ad.
The commercial promised a “end to illegal immigration,” a “path to a balanced budget,” attempts to “push back against federal overreach,” and the confirmation of “judges who follow the constitution.”
“But the only thing I’ve seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt,” Staggs added.
Staggs, then a candidate for Salt Lake County mayor, made news in June 2020 when he claimed that local police would not enforce a mask mandate in the county due to an increase in coronavirus cases.
“I will direct, along with our city manager, our police department to spend their resources in other areas that are really going to protect our public health,” Staggs said at the time, according to Salt Lake City’s KUTV 2News.
Staggs told Fox News that “I do not believe it is the place of government to dictate our daily lives.”
“In 2020, throughout America, we had kids forced home from school, parents forced home from work, and families forced home from church,” he said. “Not in my town. I believe people will always make better decisions for their own lives than the government ever could.”
Other Republicans are considering a run against Romney, including Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, who stated in April that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider a Senate bid.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
