A Utah mayor seeking the state’s GOP nomination to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate has endorsed Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as the upper chamber’s top Republican.
Trent Staggs, who since 2017 has been the mayor of Riverton, Utah, located about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City, said in a statement to Newsmax that Paul is a lawmaker who understands “federalism” and “America First.”
"The prospect of Rand Paul leading Republicans in the Senate should excite every liberty lover in America,” Staggs said. “The uniparty has done so much damage to our country, and it's time to reverse that. We need someone who understands federalism, someone who is America First, someone who understands we must solve our problems at home rather than nation-building. We need Rand Paul."
Staggs is in a four-way race for the GOP Senate nomination to replace Romney, who is not seeking re-election. Others in the field include Rep. John Curtis; lawyer Brent Hatch, whose father, the late Orrin Hatch, served 42 years in the Seante; and Brad Wilson, a former speaker of the Utah House. Utah’s U.S. Senate primary is June 25.
Paul also received an endorsement to replace McConnell by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote in a Feb. 29 post on X that Paul “would be an incredible successor. He's shown great judgment and has the grit to put hardworking Americans first."
McConnell, 82, announced last month he will step down in November after being the Senate’s top Republican for nearly 17 years, although he did not say whether he will run for re-election in 2026. Among those declaring their interest in replacing McConnell are Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
Paul has yet to express an interest, but in a post Friday on X, he wrote: “Thousands of people have been asking if I'd run for Senate leadership.” In another post, he created a poll asking followers who they would like to see replace McConnell, with the picks between himself, Cornyn, and Thune. As of 6:30 p.m. Friday, Paul was ahead with 96.5% of the 94,128 who voted, with Thune and Cornyn tied at 1.9% each.