Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) approval rating in Utah is dropping, and most say he should not seek reelection, a recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found.
The survey found just 41 percent expressing approval of Romney’s job performance, and of those, 15 percent “strongly” approve. Forty-nine percent disapprove, and of those, 30 percent disapprove “strongly.” Another ten percent “don’t know.” This reflects a five-point increase for Romney in terms of disapproval as 44 percent of voters disapproved of his performance in March. It also reflects an 11-point drop from the 52 percent who approved in March.
When asked if Romney should seek reelection in 2024 for the U.S. Senate, most, 51 percent, said, “no,” he should not. Another 47 percent said, “yes,” he should run again, and three percent “don’t know.”
More specifically, 54 percent of Republicans do not believe Romney should run again, while most Democrats, 55 percent, believe he should run for Senate again.
The failed 2012 presidential candidate, however, has yet to say if he will run for reelection in 2024, although he said he is putting together a team, raising money, and “keeping my options open.”
If Romney chooses to run, he will face challenger Trent Staggs, Mayor of Riverton, Utah.
Utah needs another proven fighter and conservative in the Senate. We need someone unafraid to stand against the Washington establishment. That's who I am, but I need your help to get there https://t.co/yg5tnTG4mV pic.twitter.com/qof9JQYi7C
— Mayor Trent Staggs (@MayorStaggs) May 23, 2023
“I’m going because I can’t sit by and watch while guys like Mitt Romney and Chuck Schumer mortgage my children’s future,” Staggs told Breitbart News in May, noting that Romney “doesn’t represent most Utahns.”
“This guy votes to add trillions in spending, votes twice to impeach President Trump, but then turns around and votes to confirm guys like Open Borders Mayorkas and Radical Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,” he explained.
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Most recently, Romney asserted that the former president “brought these charges upon himself,” referring to the latest indictment over the handling of White House documents.
“Like all Americans, Mr. Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence. The government has the burden of proving its charges beyond a reasonable doubt and securing a unanimous verdict by a South Florida jury,” he said, asserting that “by all appearances, the Justice Department and special counsel have exercised due care, affording Mr. Trump the time and opportunity to avoid charges that would not generally have been afforded to others.”
“Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so,” he continued, criticizing Trump:
These allegations are serious and if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest, such as withholding defensive weapons from Ukraine for political reasons and failing to defend the Capitol from violent attack and insurrection.
Staggs criticized Romney’s “milquetoast response,” adding that the senator is “showing us once more, he has no backbone.”
“For him, the Senate is about settling his petty beefs, not upholding the Constitution,” he added.
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