Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., has announced his endorsement for Utah GOP Senate candidate Trent Staggs, saying that he will be a "great representative" for his state.
"The United States Senate needs another true conservative," Biggs said in his announcement. I am pleased to endorse Trent Staggs. I know that he will be a great representative of the state of Utah and bring a conservative voice to the United States Senate. I’m looking forward to his successful campaign for the United States Senate."
Staggs, the mayor of Riverton City, Utah, since 2017, is one of several contenders for the Republican nomination to represent Utah in the Senate seat currently held by GOP Sen. Mitt Romney, who announced last fall that he would not be seeking reelection.
Also this week, the Utah Fraternal Order of Police said it is rejecting a "false narrative" appearing in campaign advertisements against Staggs, claiming that he "handcuffed cops, not criminals" while he was mayor.
"It should be noted that the Utah Fraternal Order of Police has had a long history of cooperation with Mr. Staggs as mayor of Riverton City," Utah FOP President Kevin Murray wrote in a letter earlier this month. "Mr. Staggs has always been an advocate for law enforcement."
Murray said that the Utah FOP "unapologetically" endorsed the Staggs campaign.
"We continue to stand for Mr. Staggs and refute the claims that he has been anything but an advocate for our members," he said. "With that, the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, with its 5,100 members, still endorses Trent Staggs in his race for U.S. Senate."
The advertisement accused Staggs of being "too weak, too woke" while mayor and claimed that he "forced diversity training" on police officers while the Black Lives Matter protests were occurring.