Utah Republican raises more than $2 million as he explores 'likely' bid to take Romney's Senate seat

FIRST ON FOX: A top Republican in Utah has wasted no time fundraising as he explores the possibility of running for a seat in the U.S. Senate that's currently held by GOP Sen. Mitt Romney.

Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, who launched an exploratory committee in April to consider running for the seat in the Senate, told Fox News Digital he has raised more than $2.2 million.

Partnered with a personal contribution of $1.2 million, Wilson has raised $1,018,586 from various donors in the last three months — with 94% of those donations coming from Utah residents. Though he isn't likely to declare his official decision until sometime this fall, Wilson currently has more than $2.1 million cash on hand.

"We launched our exploratory committee in Utah earlier in April of this year to try to determine the level of support for my candidacy," Wilson told Fox News Digital. "What we've heard over that period of time is what we thought we would hear.… We've heard that what Utahns are interested in [and] want is they want to have a strong, conservative leader and a fighter back in D.C. to represent Utah."

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Discussing his committee's efforts, which he insisted have "gone exceptionally well" in recent weeks, Wilson said voters in the Beehive State are hoping to see D.C. become "a lot more like Utah instead of the other way around."

Asked about the fundraising total and what that says about the likelihood of his candidacy in the race, Wilson said, "I think it's a reflection of not just me, but to all those that have been supportive. We have broken records. We've raised over $1,000,000 of other people's money from all across the state. And 94% of that money comes from within the state of Utah. I mean, it's remarkable."

Highlighting his accomplishments in office, Wilson said, "My main focus has been, every day, to get up and make sure we're doing everything to maintain and improve the quality of life for Utahns."

"We've had the biggest tax cut in Utah history this year," he said. "We've cut Utahn's taxes over $1,000,000,000 in the last five years, and we've made massive investments in outdoor recreation infrastructure, transportation infrastructure. Utah, in almost every metric, is the best managed state in the country, and what we keep hearing is that that's what Utahns would like us to export to D.C. – those skills and that expertise."

Wilson wouldn't specify the reasons he would be a better senator than Romney, but noted that he and his team are "putting ourselves and my potential candidacy in a position to win."

"You know, raising over $1 million and 94% of that coming from the state of Utah sends a strong message, regardless of who's running for the Senate," he added. "I am a good reflection of what people in the state are looking for."

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Romney — who was the GOP nominee in the 2012 presidential election and lost to former President Obama — filed FEC paperwork last month in a possible first step toward running for re-election, but he has yet to make a final decision.

Wilson, a businessman who has represented Utah's 15th District in the state House since January 2011, said he and his team have been working to meet "individuals from every corner of the state" as he touted the "exciting" grassroots support he has received.

Asked about concerns from voters and what they've told him as he traveled the state, Wilson said, "One is they would like to have a lot less of D.C. in their lives, and the other thing is they are still reeling from the massive amount of inflation that's been caused by what a lot of us believe [is] the reckless spending that's happened in D.C."

"They're looking for leaders to help prevent those kinds of things from happening again," he added.

Wilson, a graduate from Weber State University, said he is "likely" to announce his candidacy in the race later this year.

"My guess is that we'll be making a decision sometime this fall, depending on how things continue to progress. But the overwhelming support and momentum that we've built makes me very optimistic at this point ... that it's something that we're likely to do," he said.

Should he jump into the race, Wilson will already face at least one Republican who will be vying for the seat currently held by Romney.

Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs — a Republican who gained notoriety in 2020 for his opposition to mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic — announced in May that he would make a run for the Senate seat held by Romney.

Picking up support from the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the state, Staggs was the first candidate to pose a challenge to Romney.

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When asked why he believes Romney may not be an effective leader for the state, Staggs told Fox News Digital, "Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt."

Romney has gone on the record saying that if he runs, he has no doubt he would be successfully re-elected. He defeated Democrat Jenny Wilson with more than 62% of the vote in 2018.

"I'm convinced that if I run, I win. But that's a decision I'll make," Romney said of a potential re-election bid.

Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.