Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), founder of the House Conservative Climate Caucus, is not running as a “climate candidate” in his bid for Utah Senate, but it won’t stop his opponents from hitting him on his record.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, the three-term Utah Republican set the record straight on whether he would put one of his key issues front and center in his campaign, clarifying that he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed.
“My constituents see me as far more than the climate guy,” Curtis said. “It’s a tool in the toolbox. … It’s actually a strength to me, but I clearly want to be a candidate who is good on all the issues that are important to them.”
Curtis is launching a bid for retiring Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) seat in a state that has been historically red, but has shown signs of becoming more blue following the 2020 elections, according to the Cook Political Report. But distancing himself from his own record signals an acknowledgment that his work on reducing emissions could serve as a liability as he goes up against Republicans who lean to the right of him on the issue and are preparing to attack his legislative history.
“Most of the other people running in that race see that as a vulnerability for him and are preparing their campaigns accordingly,” said a source familiar with Utah Republican politics. “And a number of them have told me as much.”
The source went as far as to criticize the conservative climate group Curtis founded as antithetical to the GOP’s approach to the environment.
“That’s rather oxymoronic — it’s sort of like a conservative pro-abortion caucus,” the source said. “It doesn’t sit well with a lot of [the candidates].”
The Conservative Climate Caucus, founded by Curtis in 2021, was created to help educate the Republican conference on a right-leaning approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which includes fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. The caucus has leaned toward solutions like carbon capture and sequestration, a technology that has been critiqued by environmentalists who argue it gives a lifeline to the more traditional and dirtier forms of energy.
The ranks of the caucus have grown to more than 80 members, with many attending last month’s global climate conference, known as COP28.
Still, some criticized his attendance at the global summit and were averse to the news of a meeting with John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s climate envoy.
“Curtis flies to Dubai — and what good is that going to do?” said Garfield County Commission Chair Leland Pollock, who has endorsed former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson in the Senate race. “We have a lot of problems in Utah and his district. There’s no way in the world he did one bit of good over there.”
Curtis, along with other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, pressed Kerry on permitting reform, according to E&E News.
Republicans jumping into the race also have concerns with his focus on reducing emissions, reasoning there are more pressing issues at hand.
“Probably the No. 1 issue is the national debt, and you’re just going to spend more money on things that probably aren’t going to make a difference. That’s a problem,” said Brent Hatch, a private practice lawyer who’s also the son of the late Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
In the interview, Curtis clarified that he’s opposed to having the federal government mandating solutions on climate change instead of focusing on the desired outcome of reducing emissions. His approach, he says, would allow the market to dictate the course.
“In my experience, the market is ahead of regulations in almost all places,” Curtis said. “Sometimes, I think one of the mistakes we make as a government is pre-determining what clean, reliable, affordable [energy] means — and that the marketplace would actually get there quicker if we just told them what the end outcome was, rather than how they were going to get there.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Despite some skepticism, some data indicates Curtis could pull through the Republican primary. A poll that was paid by the Conservative Values for Utah PAC shows Curtis with a notable edge over Wilson and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs in a three-way primary, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Of 600 likely Republican voters, Curtis would win 40% of support, with Wilson gaining 11% of the votes and Staggs 6%. 43% of the remaining voters stated they were undecided.
In the same poll, Curtis also has significant standing in a direct race with Wilson, leading in 44% of the vote compared to Wilson’s 12%.
