Brad Wilson appears to be pulling back in U.S. Senate race

SALT LAKE CITY — As the push to the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate heats up, one candidate appears to be slowing down.

Multiple sources told KSL that former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson is privately acknowledging the uphill battle he faces – right as voters are casting their ballots.

In fact, KSL has learned that Wilson – one of four candidates in the GOP race to replace Sen. Mitt Romney – recently met with campaign staff and acknowledged his likely loss.

Wilson is polling in third place behind Congressman John Curtis and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, but ahead of businessman Jason Walton, according to a recent survey from the Deseret News and Hinckley Institute of Politics.

Now, Wilson has stopped buying paid advertising, a development first reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. The last time Wilson advertised on KSL TV was May 28, more than two weeks ago.

Wilson’s posts on social media have also become far less frequent. His last Facebook post came on May 20, nearly a month ago.

And when KSL checked Wilson’s website Thursday afternoon, no events at all were listed for the final weeks of this campaign.

Additionally, Wilson’s Provo office – which opened in February – was dark and locked Thursday morning.

Read the full story and more from Daniel Woodruff on KSL.com.

Related: Five Republican challengers for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District to face off on the issues