With many of the nation’s political eyes fixed on Atlanta this week for the first presidential debate, Utah was home to one of the most consequential stories of the 2024 election season.
>>>READ: A Depressed Viewer’s Guide to the Presidential Debate
On Tuesday, Rep. John Curtis won Utah’s Senate GOP primary, handily beating Trump-backed Trent Staggs by 20 points and with 51% of the vote. The victory nearly guarantees that Curtis will be the next senator of Utah–a deeply red state that has voted Republican since 1986.
This victory also demonstrates a win for the principled conservative wing of the party. As C3 Action Executive Director John Hart said in a press release:
“John Curtis will bring to the Senate not just moral courage and clarity, but moral imagination. He’s a rare leader who will challenge and inspire his colleagues to not just critique a broken and dysfunctional status quo but to dream of, and shape, a world that could be. Voters in Utah, and the rest of the country, will benefit greatly from his leadership.”
Since first coming to Washington, D.C. in 2017, Curtis has been a shining example of level-headed policymaking. One of his most notable achievements to date has been the creation of the Conservative Climate Caucus. Launched in 2021 to put conservatives on the offensive in the climate debate, the caucus has quickly become one of the largest in Congress with over 80 members.
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In its short existence, the Conservative Climate Caucus has shaped Republican messaging and policymaking around energy, the environment, and climate. Members of the caucus like Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), spearheaded the passage of the ADVANCE Act—the most comprehensive nuclear energy bill in decades. Meanwhile, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) led negotiations for permitting reform in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was signed into law last summer. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), another caucus member, was recently successful in getting her Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act passed, which freed up billions of dollars in funding for domestic fuel production allocated in the Nuclear Fuel Security Act.
>>>READ: Why Liberal Partisans Resent the Conservative Climate Caucus
Curtis’s leadership is helping to organize a bold set of policy reforms to keep energy affordable and dependable and to help lower emissions in the process.
“Curtis, like Reagan, has offered a positive and substantive agenda that is transforming the debate. And like Reagan, he’s been successful because he doesn’t care who gets the credit,” said Hart. “He’s wisely nurtured and collaborated with the 80-plus strong Conservative Climate Caucus in the House and a growing ecosystem of organizations committed to making the case that economic freedom is the foundation of good climate and energy policy.”
Curtis’s win is not only a victory for the people of Utah but for the nation, which is getting a humble, principled leader who is not afraid to address complex issues elevated to the Senate.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
