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Multiple Utah County mayors endorse Brad Wilson for US Senate

By Carlene Coombs - | Nov 14, 2023

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo

Utah Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, speaks during a celebration announcing the construction of a new Huntsman Cancer Institute in Vineyard on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Wilson is the Utah Speaker of the House and has formed an exploratory committee to seek the U.S. Senate seat in 2024.

Brad Wilson, candidate for U.S. Senate to replace Sen. Mitt Romney and sitting Utah House Speaker, announced Friday that he had received endorsements from 11 mayors in Utah County.

Wilson posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that a handful of mayors from Santaquin to Saratoga Springs have endorsed him, adding that having their support is “crucial” to his campaign. Wilson recently resigned from his speakership in the Utah House to run for Senate and will officially step down on Wednesday.

Dan Olson, mayor of Santaquin, said he has met with the candidate multiple times while Wilson was Utah House speaker as well as during his race to replace Romney in the U.S. Senate.

“(Wilson) is a very good man, attentive, and has helped me work through some issues with transportation for Santaquin City,” Olson said in an email to the Daily Herald. “He listens and is always one to stop by, even in Santaquin, and visit with me. It is refreshing to have a listening ear when one is needed.”

Denise Andersen, mayor of Cedar Hills, said she visited with Wilson before Romney announced his retirement to discuss issues facing Cedar Hills and said his conservative values and opinions line up with hers, adding that this was her “personal endorsement.”

Wilson posted the endorsement list shortly after U.S. Rep. John Curtis revived rumors that he was reconsidering a run for U.S. Senate, Deseret News reported last week, despite announcing he wouldn’t run for the seat in October. Curtis currently represents a large area of Utah County, including Provo and Orem, and was the mayor of Provo several years ago.

Andersen added that if Curtis were to run for Senate, that might give her “pause” on who she would support, adding the current U.S. representative has been “fabulous” for the district.

According to Wilson’s social media post, mayors from Saratoga Springs, Spanish Fork, Springville, Pleasant Grove, Lehi, Elk Ridge, Vineyard, Mapleton and Payson have also endorsed him for the Senate. The Daily Herald was unable to reach mayors from these cities as of Monday to independently confirm the reported endorsements.

Notably, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and Orem Mayor Dave Young were not included on the list of Wilson’s endorsements.

Wilson has also received support from a host of Utah politicians, with Gov. Spencer Cox alluding to being willing to endorse the candidate during a September press conference and dozens of state lawmakers endorsing him in August.

Other candidates for Senate include Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, former Mike Lee staffer Carolyn Phippens, Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird, political commentator Tyrone Jensen, data scientist Gabriel Lobo-Blanco and accountant Josh Randall, all of whom are Republicans.

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