John Curtis kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign to a large crowd and some protestors on Jan. 22 at the Saela headquarters in Orem.
After originally saying he would not run, the congressman representing Utah's 3rd Congressional District filed to run for U.S. Senate in Mitt Romney’s vacated seat.
“As your Senator, I’ll keep working hard every day to get things done for Utah, and make our state an even better place. Together, we can ensure America has a bright future,” Curtis said.
When asked why Curtis — who already holds a position in Congress — is running for Senate, Curtis said he wanted the opportunity to take an even more active role in government.
“The six-year cycle gives people a chance to really focus on issues instead of campaigning,” Curtis said. “And much of what you do in the House is just a constant campaign. So there's a lot of reasons that I'm looking forward to it.”
More than 500 people attended the kickoff event, many of whom already supported him. Others, however, were there to find out more about what policies he would be targeting.
“I just wanted to learn about his campaign,” Brayden Moss, a college student said. “I really like that he’s talking about his climate initiative.”
In addition to meeting with Curtis, attendees were served J Dawgs and cookies while kids played cornhole and basketball.
A half-dozen protestors outside held up signs advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“It is very difficult to find any reason why we should be supporting indiscriminate carpet bombing of civilians,” Alyssa Morrill, a protestor, said.
Morrill said she was a registered Republican and generally liked the policies Representative Curtis had sponsored, but wanted more action on Gaza.
“If he is wanting to represent our people, if he wants to progress in his career ... I would really want to see him represent what 85% of people want,” Morrill said.
The Utah Republican primary poll will be on March 5 where Curtis will appear on the ballot.