U.S. Rep. John Curtis is officially joining the race to replace U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate after months of speculation about the Provo Republican launching a campaign.

Curtis, who currently represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, joins a crowded field of Republican candidates such as former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson and Brent Hatch, son of the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, who declared his candidacy on Tuesday.

Shortly after Romney announced in September that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, Curtis began considering a run, with his team telling the Daily Herald in late September that he was “very serious” about running.

He then changed tones in early October, announcing in the Deseret News that he would be “staying the course in the House” and would not be running for Senate.

“The second I made that announcement, people started reaching out and asking me what it would take to get me to change my mind,” Curtis told the Daily Herald this week.

In mid-November, Curtis publicly stated he was reconsidering his decision after a political action committee, Conservative Values for Utah, began running a television ad encouraging the congressman to run for Senate, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Curtis said as someone who has already been in the nation’s capital for six years, he’d be able to “hit the ground running” in the Senate and be in a position of seniority, adding this gives him an advantage over other candidates in the race.

Additionally, he said the quality and experience of his team and his focus on Utah also gives him an upper hand in the race.

“I’ve never been the type of guy who worries about being on national TV,” he said. “I like solving problems in the district.”

One reason for pursuing the Senate, Curtis said, is that the chamber provides him with the opportunity to accomplish more.

“Let’s be honest, the House is very dysfunctional,” he said, adding, “There’s 100 Senate members and 443 House members, so the seat is elevated as far as being able to have an influence and an impact.”

He described working across the aisle as his “superpower,” adding that bipartisan work is essential while the House and Senate are so closely split.

“And I think that’s one part of my job that I’ve really enjoyed in building these relationships of trust,” he said. “And that doesn’t mean that you have to compromise what you want to get legislation passed. It just means you have to find that cross-section between what you want and what they want.”

If elected to the U.S. Senate, Curtis said energy, public lands, border policy and immigration would be a few of his priorities.

Curtis is known for heading the Conservative Climate Caucus in the U.S. House and has worked to get conservatives engaged in discussion around climate policy, something he intends to continue in the Senate.

That’s balanced against a record of pushing back against what he describes as a federal grab at Utah’s public lands. Last September, Curtis introduced a bill with other lawmakers to require congressional approval of national monument designations.

Other declared candidates in the race 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.

Newsletter