Congressman John Curtis is tossing his hat into the ring in the GOP primary to replace Senator Romney in Utah, who announced his retirement last year. Mr. Curtis, who is the first sitting congressman to announce his candidacy, is an early favorite.

Mr. Curtis reversed an earlier decision to not enter the race. A spokesman for Mr. Curtis, Corey Norman, tells the New York Sun that “After many Utahns from across the state reached out and urged him to run, John decided it was the right thing to do.”

“He has a proven conservative track record of getting things done for Utahns and will continue working hard every day to help make the state an even better place,” Mr. Norman says.

In his announcement video released Wednesday, Mr. Curtis touted his achievements as the mayor of Provo, Utah, in the House of Representatives, and his fiscal conservatism.

“My family says I’m cheap — I think I’m thrifty, right Sue?” Mr. Curtis said, referencing his wife, Sue Curtis. “I like saying no to big spenders in both parties.”

Mr. Curtis also signaled that his campaign would prioritize border security, rural broadband access, opposing Communist China, the management of federal lands, and opposing President Biden on the campaign trail.

Mr. Curtis is also likely the early frontrunner, according to a poll commissioned by the Conservative Values for Utah that was shared with the Salt Lake Tribune in December.

The survey of 600 likely GOP primary voters found that in a three-way matchup between Mr. Curtis, the house speaker of Utah, Brad Wilson, and the mayor of Riverton, Trent Staggs, Mr. Curtis would receive 40 percent support compared to Mr. Wilson’s 11 percent and Mr. Staggs’s 6 percent.

The remaining 43 percent of those surveyed were undecided on who they would support in the primary. In a head to head matchup against Mr. Wilson, Mr. Curtis would lead Mr. Wilson 44 percent to 12 percent.

There are at least five other candidates running for the GOP nomination this year who were not included in the survey, including a former staffer for Senator Lee, Carolyn Phippen, and the Mayor of Roosevelt, Rod Bird Jr.

Mr. Wilson, who announced his candidacy in September, issued a statement on Mr. Curtis’s announcement criticizing him for his work as a representative and saying that Utah needs a “bold conservative in the Senate who will shatter the status quo, not another DC career politician.”

“Utahns from every corner of the state are rallying behind Brad Wilson because Brad is the only candidate who’s a conservative fighter that does things the Utah Way, not the Washington Way,” Mr. Wilson said.

Given Utah’s political leaning, the nominee for the Republican Party is likely to be the next senator from Utah. In 2022, Mr. Lee won re-election against the independent candidate, Evan McMullin. Democrats in the state-backed Mr. McMullin and did not nominate a candidate of their own. 

The primary in Utah is scheduled for June 25, giving candidates just less than six months to campaign. The deadline for candidates to file is January 8.