John Curtis Could be Just as Moderate as Mitt Romney

Rep. John Curtis’ history and work shows he could be just as moderate as Sen. Mitt Romney, who will retire at the end of his current term.

Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) is one of many people vying to replace Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) for Utah’s next  U.S. Senator. At surface level, he plays the conservative role well from his commentary to his voting record, but according to analysis from the American Conservative Union and Conservative Review, Utah voters may be wary of his claims. 

Curtis was previously the former Democratic Party Chairman of Utah County in 2002-2003 and a Democratic candidate for State Senate in 2000. 

Curtis, who also has been known for pushing a climate change agenda, has been described as liberal Democrats’ favorite Republican when it comes to the environment. Curtis is the founder and former leader of the House Conservative Climate Caucus, which is over the the Conservative Climate PAC. Curtis’ candidate committee has taken money from several left-leaning groups, including Environmental Defense Action Fund, Google, and Bill Gates. 

The Conservative Climate Caucus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) has been primarily used to fund Curtis’ travel to various green energy conferences around the world. CCCF raised over $336,000 in contributions and grants in 2021 and spent over $200,000 on conferences and meetings.

His “timely history” in stock trading can also be seen as concerning for Utah voters. 

It was reported that Curtis purchased stock in the Abbott Laboratories the same day the Food and Drug Administration allowed the company to produce the “fastest available” COVID-19 tests. 

On March 4, 2020 Curtis purchased $1,001 to $15,000 worth of stocks in Zoom just before COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began and people started meeting on the platform for work. Curtis has holdings in other controversial companies, such as Walt Disney Company, Amazon, and Netflix, which are all well-known for pushing anti-conservative agendas. 

“I’ll keep fighting Joe Biden’s reckless spending,” Rep. Curtis said in a video announcing his campaign back in January. 

However, the Congressman has voted to suspend the debt ceiling, fund the war in Ukraine through the with $40 billion in aid, pass a $1.5 trillion omnibus bill that included vaccine mandates, as well as other frivolous spending bills. While Curtis may have a conservative record with Heritage Action for America, other organizations, such as American Conservative Union and Conservative Review have given him lower ratings. 

Curtis is currently running in an already crowded primary field to replace Romney with names including Jeremy Friedbaum, Brent Hatch, Brian Jenkins, Carolyn Phippen, Josh Randall, Trent Staggs, Chandler Tanner, Jason Walton, Clark White, and Brad R. Wilson. With all these names in the race, could Curtis be another moderate similar to Mitt Romney if he were elected to replace him?