Brad Wilson will seek vacant Senate seat after Mitt Romney’s term ends

DRAPER — Utah’s Speaker of the House Brad Wilson announced Wednesday he will seek to fill the seat of Sen. Mitt Romney in 2025.

Wilson previously announced that he would step down as speaker, effective Nov. 15. He said then he had “…built lifelong friendships and come to love and appreciate the people of Utah. I am excited for my next chapter.” That next chapter will be a campaign in 2024.

Romney announced Sept. 13 that he would not run for reelection and called for a “new generation” of leaders. His term ends Jan. 3, 2025. He is the only member of his party to vote twice to convict former president Donald Trump in two impeachment trials.

Wilson, in his media for his exploratory committee said he is a “conservative fighter” and asked people to join him to “get America back on track,” language that is reminiscent of Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” slogan.

Rep. John Curtis, currently representing Utah in Congress, told the Deseret News Wednesday that he is “very seriously” thinking about running for Romney’s seat.

Wilson has served as Speaker of the House since 2019. Wilson was elected as a Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives representing District 15 and served in that capacity since 2011. His campaign for the U.S. Senate will take place in 2024, leading up to what looks like a big election year.

Throughout his time in the Utah Legislature, Wilson served in a variety of roles and responsibilities aside from Speaker of the House, including House Majority Leader, House Majority Assistant Whip, and Vice Chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee.