Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs is seeking to represent the people of Utah in the U.S. Senate upon the departure of current Senator Mitt Romney. Romney said he is not seeking reelection and there are currently 11 individuals vying for his seat.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Staggs in an April 27 post to his social media platform Truth Social, writing, “Trent Staggs is 100% MAGA…a Highly Successful Entrepreneur, who has served brilliantly as Mayor of Riverton for the pasts six years, Trent knows how to Create Jobs, Stop Inflation, Grow the Economy, and Secure the Border. As your next Senator, Trent will help Unleash American Energy, Support our Military/Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. Trent Staggs has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

The last-minute endorsement from Trump helped Staggs to be selected as the nominee for the Utah State Republican Caucus which held a vote on April 28. 

Staggs, currently in his second term as Riverton’s mayor, said he is running for Senate because the next generation of Americans “deserve a better country than the one they’re inheriting.” His inspiration for this campaign stems from his wife and two children. “Schools have gone from centers of education to woke indoctrination centers for our children. Once-great cities have become crime-ridden fiefdoms, our military’s standing has been diminished, our border is under siege and our treasury is $34 million dollars in debt,” Staggs said.

Staggs hopes that his policies and ability to connect with conservative voters will help him to win in November. However, Staggs faces steep competition from former State Speaker of the House of Representatives Brad Wilson and current Utah 3rd congressional district representative John Curtis, among others.

In a January poll conducted by Deseret News, Staggs was polling at 3% from a pool of 428 registered voters with Curtis leading that poll at 18%. With the endorsement from Trump, his numbers were expected to rise among registered Republican voters.

Staggs has been participating in various campaign stops and public forum debates with his fellow candidates, but strikes a firm and unapologetic tone on the state of the country and what he plans on doing to make changes in Washington, D.C.λ