In 2016 we ran from Antifa chasing anyone with a MAGA hat chanting "punch a Nazi in the face" problem being their definition of a Nazi was whatever a leftist pundit told them it was. When Trump ran in 2016 that was us. Utah's GOP establishment and grassroots, taking notes from Glenn Beck and Ben Shapiro, they were egging Antifa on. It was important to note who stood with us when it counted, when it was dangerous. In 2018 Romney was running for the GOP primary. I confronted him publicly. I picketed his campaign events. My face in a MAGA hat wasn't an unfamiliar sight for Romney in Utah County on his campaign stumps. Romney bragged about how Trump supported him in the primary. Romney blatantly lied about his positions and where he stood. I did what I knew how to help Mike Kennedy beat Romney in 2018. During convention I ran on the convention floor speaking to as many delegates as possible, Kennedy beat Romney at convention 49-50%. I went on to knock on doors, I made calls, I made signs I did what I knew how. Romney won the primary, which is the election Utah. Before taking office he went onto push an op-ed attacking Trump, things he actively lied about and hid during the primary. In 2020, I actively supported Trump and the candidate that stood with us unequivocally supporting Trump in 2016 when everyone else in office turned to Evan McMullin, the guy led a protest outside Ben McAdam's office when he voted for impeachment, who called out Romney for being a liar, Greg Hughes. Greg Hughes was running against the most vitriolic Never Trumper in the country, Spencer Cox. Cox was doing what Romney did claimed to support Trump for President. It's familiar pattern. In after McMullin debacle in 2016, Romney in 2018, Spencer "Romney 10,000" Cox in 2020, Utah's Never-Trumper Romneycrat clique wasn't finished. In 2022 they took an extreme and outrageous step to intimidate and embarrass Trump and his supporters. On the eve of Trump's announcement they pushed a press release calling on DeSantis to run. This wasn't headlined by a team of dedicated conservatives who supported DeSantis style policies in Utah, quite the opposite. So fast forward a year, I'm seeing one of those that used their elected office on this attack, STAGGS NEVER PUBLICLY SUPPORTED TRUMP BEFORE THIS YEAR! Being espoused as a "MAGA" candidate I'm disgusted. Trent Staggs is no such thing. He's never publicly supported Trump not in 2016, not in 2020. He joined the same disgusting people to humiliate and embarrass Trump that pushed the most disturbing Trump attacks in the country.
I am seeing national Big Con outlets pushing Trent Staggs as a MAGA candidate, Staggs capitalized off of Romney's notoriety and became "I'm not Romney" He was espoused as this MAGA remedy. Problem he isn't. He's an opportunist and liar. He never showed up for MAGA in Utah despite plenty of opportunity to do so. Now he wants the MAGA vote, he's running around spewing a targeted message he's never supported before now. Staggs has problem, Romney isn't running and his I'm not Romney message doesn't work. What's the play smear Brad Wilson as Romney 2.0. The problem with that is Wilson is no Romney. Wilson has the most conservative record on issues that impact Utahns of any candidate in the state's history. This is clear to any casual observer. It makes sense to see the smears coming from the far left going after Wilson but it's disturbing to see it coming right.
Brad Wilson succeeded in getting issues through that conservatives in Utah have spent decades working on. He got constitution carry passed. He got school choice through. He got a ban men in women's sports through. When Spencer Cox vetoed it, he got the veto overridden. To date he's the only statewide candidate to actually stand up to the nastiest and biggest Never Trumper in the country, Spencer Cox. When Salt Lake County Council had RINO's pushing masks on kids in schools he called the legislature into a special session to override the Salt County Council mask mandate. Unlike Staggs who used elected office to attack Trump, Wilson used his office to issue Trump an official commendation from the state of Utah. Trump matters to Utah more than any President to this state since Millard Fillmore.
While it's disheartening to see national figures you respect push an opportunist hack Trent Staggs. Richard Grenell, Charlie Kirk, Kari Lake, and Kash Patel weren't here in Utah in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. It's embarrassing and gross to see people you know and worked with in the trenches supporting a guy who never stood with us, who attacked us. Really you're going to support a guy who doing exactly what Romney and Cox did? Trent Staggs playbook is telling people what they want to hear and smearing decent people. I shouldn't be too harsh on I'm just disappointed and embarrassed. I didn't see most of them when I tried stopping Romney in 2018. I see them helping an actual Romney 2.0 get into office.
Actual Romney 2.0 is being egged on by the same forces that worked to Romney elected in the first place. John Curtis is the most corrupt swamp rat in country. He's worse than Romney because he's sneakier. He profits from his office and games the report cards while pushing leftist agendas inside the GOP. He's never been in GOP House leadership because as mayor of Provo he was feeding victims to rapist police chief and informing anyone that dared speak up about that he would be police chief as long as he was mayor. John Curtis was the subject of multiple James O'Keefe expose's. John Curtis campaign staffers were quick to admit they were hoodwinking conservatives and pushing a clandestine leftist into office. He's very personable. Utah's small enough he'll give you his cell phone and take your calls. Then like Trent Staggs, he will tell you everything you want to hear, with the added benefit of a private conversation so it's trickier to pin down.
Rod Bird is the mayor of Roosevelt and he's running for senate as well. I'm not in Roosevelt so I don't know what he's done there. I do know he doesn't have the record on the issues I care about compared to Brad Wilson. Carolyn Phippen is running. I do know some about her. She's well informed and has extensive knowledge on federal issues impacting Utah, but she doesn't come close to record Brad Wilson has on issues I care about. I'm sure someone is going to reference report cards I don't care about and explain who I should be supporting. I find most of those to be garbage and gamed. The only report card I care about is on the important issues I follow and matter, and no candidate has the record Brad Wilson does. No one even comes close. I'm not supporting Brad Wilson for senate because I know him well or agree with everything he does. I supporting him because what he has done I can't claim to espouse the ideals I do and not back someone who has accomplished what other politicians only advocated for. I supporting Brad Wilson because it's the right thing to do.