ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
State Sen. Mike Kennedy joins campaign for Rep. John Curtis’ 3rd District seat
Jan 4, 2024, 10:00 PM
Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, speaks at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 17, 2023. Kennedy announced Thursday he is running for Utah's 3rd Congressional seat. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — State Sen. Mike Kennedy is officially running for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District seat, weeks after announcing an exploratory committee to weigh a possible campaign.
Kennedy’s announcement on Thursday comes just days after the seat’s current occupant, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, filed to run for Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Kennedy previously ran against Romney in the GOP primary in 2018.
The Alpine Republican has spent more than a decade in the Utah Legislature, and represents a legislative district that overlaps with Curtis’ congressional district.
Kennedy said the nation is “at a pivotal moment” and promised to focus on border security, fiscal stability and protecting freedoms.
“Now, I am ready to take this commitment to a Congress deeply in need of conservative problem solvers and responsible governance,” he said.
“The challenges we face as a nation — from families struggling with the rising costs of inflation, our mounting national debt, and the need for strong border security — demand leaders who are ready to take on these issues and understand the importance of civil discourse and collaboration,” he added. “In Congress, I will work to ensure that the voices and values of everyday Utahns are not drowned by the bickering of those seeking to divide our country.”
