Trent Staggs
Trent Staggs (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Utah. He lost in the Republican primary on June 25, 2024.
Staggs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Trent Staggs was born in Orem, Utah. He graduated from Bingham High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 2001 and an MBA from Brigham Young University in 2003. His career experience includes working as an executive for a variety of companies, notably helping take clean-energy company Vivakor public in 2022. He was elected to the Riverton City Council in 2014 before becoming mayor in 2018.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: United States Senate election in Utah, 2024
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Utah
Caroline Gleich, John Curtis, Carlton Bowen, and Laird Hamblin are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Utah on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Caroline Gleich (D) | |
 | John Curtis (R) | |
 | Carlton Bowen (Independent American Party of Utah) | |
 | Laird Hamblin (D) (Write-in) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Caroline Gleich advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Utah.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Utah
John Curtis defeated Trent Staggs, Brad R. Wilson, and Jason Walton in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Utah on June 25, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Curtis | 51.6 | 99,245 |
 | Trent Staggs | 28.1 | 54,062 | |
 | Brad R. Wilson | 14.1 | 27,151 | |
 | Jason Walton | 6.1 | 11,825 | |
| Total votes: 192,283 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chandler Tanner (R)
- Brian Jenkins (R)
- JR Bird (R)
- Ty Jensen (R)
- Gabriel Lobo-Blanco (R)
- Clark White (R)
- Brent Hatch (R)
Independent American Party of Utah primary election
The Independent American Party of Utah primary election was canceled. Carlton Bowen advanced from the Independent American Party of Utah primary for U.S. Senate Utah.
Democratic convention
Democratic convention for U.S. Senate Utah
Caroline Gleich defeated Laird Hamblin and Archie Williams III in the Democratic convention for U.S. Senate Utah on April 27, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Caroline Gleich (D) | 92.5 | 795 |
| Laird Hamblin (D) | 5.6 | 48 | |
 | Archie Williams III (D) | 1.9 | 16 | |
| Total votes: 859 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican convention
Republican Convention for U.S. Senate Utah
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Trent Staggs in round 4 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 3,147 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Clark White (R)
Independent American Party of Utah convention
Independent American Party of Utah convention for U.S. Senate Utah
Carlton Bowen defeated Robert Newcomb in the Independent American Party of Utah convention for U.S. Senate Utah on April 27, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Carlton Bowen (Independent American Party of Utah) |
 | Robert Newcomb (Independent American Party of Utah) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[3] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[4] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Curtis | Republican Party | $3,796,591 | $3,607,566 | $575,865 | As of June 5, 2024 |
| Trent Staggs | Republican Party | $1,247,184 | $871,935 | $375,249 | As of June 5, 2024 |
| Jason Walton | Republican Party | $2,882,658 | $2,620,544 | $262,114 | As of June 5, 2024 |
| Brad R. Wilson | Republican Party | $5,019,090 | $4,465,090 | $554,000 | As of June 5, 2024 |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[5][6][7]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
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Endorsements
Staggs received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Staggs's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R)
- U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R)
- Kari Lake (R) - Arizona Candidate for U.S. Senate
- Frmr. Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell
- Frmr. Deputy Director of National Intelligence Kash Patel
- Former President Donald Trump (R)
- Utah State Fraternal Order of Police
- Moms for America
- Oil & Gas Workers Association
- Patriot Parents
- Turning Point Action
- Utah Republican Veterans' Caucus
- Veterans for America First
- Mark Levin - Businessman
Pledges
Staggs signed the following pledges. To send us additional pledges, click here.
Campaign themes
2024
NOTE: Staggs' campaign on August 2, 2023, added additional endorsements to his original survey response.
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Trent Staggs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Staggs' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Trent Staggs has served the Riverton community for the last 10 years – four on the city council, six as mayor. As mayor, Trent has taken a business-oriented approach to government, lowering taxes while increasing services for residents. Not only has he refused to raise property taxes, Trent has cut those taxes and saved over $10 million.
He’s a proven leader and fiscal conservative. He has been consistently pro-liberty during the COVID lockdowns, has protected the unborn, and pushed back on “woke” policies like ESG and filth in schools. He is a full-time entrepreneur and business owner with more than 20 years of experience managing successful Fortune 500 companies to small- and medium-sized enterprises. Most recently, Trent served on the board of directors of a company that he helped take public on the NASDAQ in 2022. Trent was raised in a traditional Utah in a family with nine siblings. He went to elementary school in Orem, high school in South Jordan, the University of Utah, and BYU, where he earned his MBA. He served a mission for his church in Tahiti. Trent and his wife, Alisha, have been married since 2007. They have two kids and two dogs.
- Smaller government
- Safer families
- Stronger economy
I have always fought big government's tendency to encroach on the rights of local government and citizens. I support fiscal conservatism, the rule of law, energy independence, and a sensible defense agenda.
Ronald Reagan obviously. Clear back in 1964, he highlighted problems with the federal government in his A Time for Choosing speech. He said a government doesn’t need to confiscate your property to impose socialism. “What does it mean whether you hold the deed or the title to your business or property if the government … can find some charge to bring against any concern it chooses to prosecute. Somewhere a perversion has taken place. … [Our] freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.”
As mayor, I have taken a business-oriented approach to government, lowering taxes while increasing services for residents. Under his leadership, Riverton boasts the lowest utility fees in the valley. Not only have I refused to raise property taxes, I have cut those taxes and saved over $10 million.
My priorities in office have included:
Increasing community participation
Lower taxes and fees
Responsible, balanced development
Improve transportation flow and options
Revitalizing the old downtown
Keeping water quality high, prices low
Improve broadband infrastructure
I’ve fought big government and I’m ready to take that fight to Washington. To clean up a city as broken as Washington, D.C., it’s time to send a mayor to the Senate.
If our children are going to grow up with the same opportunities we had, we need leaders who are committed to the conservative principles of smaller government, safer families, and stronger economy.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Creature from Jekyll Island
I was raised in a middle-class family of 10 children by great parents who taught me hard work and self-reliance. My wife and I have been blessed to raise our two children here. Utah is home.
My folks taught me that if I wanted something, I’d have to work for it.
So-called progressives are driving our country off the cliff. In recent years, Americans have seen their savings wiped out by needlessly high gas prices, record-high inflation, and a cratering stock market. Many are still carrying the psychological and economic scars of the lockdowns.
Schools have gone from centers of education to woke indoctrination centers for our children. Once-great cities have become crime-ridden fiefdoms, our military’s standing has been diminished, our border is under siege, and our treasury is $32 trillion in debt.
If the leaders who’ve put America on this course are not replaced, the only conceivable destination is ruin.
It's beneficial. I have served my city for 10 years, six as mayor, where I've proven to be a consistent conservative and authentic Utahn.
Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul
Utah State Fraternal Order of Police[, Turning Point Action, Utah Republican Veterans' Caucus, radio host Mark Levin]
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Staggs’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
SMALLER GOVERNMENT When the Federal income tax was first created in 1913, it exempted what would now be the first $91,000 of income and capped out at a top marginal rate of 7% for what would be incomes greater than $15 million today. It’s a little different today. Our income is taxed, our purchases are taxed, our property is taxed, our investments are taxed, and when we die, our children’s inheritance is taxed. The federal government has grown so much that it now requires more than 25% of the average American’s income. We have lost sight of the freedoms our founders envisioned. The tax levels that led to the revolution were a fraction of what we are now paying. Your labor is your property. As a mayor, I've fought to lower every tax and fee I can get my hands on - and I'll do the same as your Senator. Spending & Overregulation In 1980, the national debt was just $1 trillion. With the out-of-control spending of recent years, it is now an incomprehensible $32 trillion - or some 140% of our GDP! We are now the largest debtor nation and one of the top 12 countries with the highest debt ratio. Meanwhile, as Washington has been reckless with our money, they are boxing us in with more regulations than we should ever have to endure. Federal agencies now number in the hundreds, with millions of rules and regulations being imposed on us by unelected bureaucracies. This overregulation cost employers between $10-20 thousand dollars per employee to come into compliance with, and drags down our economy almost $2 trillion. Wouldn’t most budget-strapped employees rather see that added to their paycheck? As Mayor, I've cut spending and regulations, and for DC, I won't just bring a hatchet; I'll bring a chainsaw. Public Lands One of the greatest assets Western states have are our natural resources. But how can we thrive when distant bureaucrats control more of our states than we do? The answer is a return to federalism, where the central government works for states, rather than the other way around. While privileged Northeastern states all own 99% of their own land, Western states are much less fortunate. We can clearly see how oppressive the federal government has become with land ownership. The feds own about 40% of Wyoming and Arizona, more than 60% of Utah and Idaho, and a shocking 80% of Nevada! This massive land grab has denied Utahns their right to self-governance and stewardship. As your Senator, I will fight to reclaim the land that was ours. SAFER FAMILIES Our educational system has been corrupted, with more and more of children’s education coming from Washington bureaucrats and well-funded teachers’ unions. The federal government has no business being involved in education. It only accounts for 7.8% of the state education budget in Utah, but tells us 100% of what to teach. More money is not the solution. The Federal government has almost $175 billion in budgeted for education in this fiscal year. Despite this, outcomes have consistently gotten worse, while the cost of higher education is averaging more than twice the rate of inflation. We need greater accountability for schools, options for parents, and results for students. For reform to be meaningful, parents must have real options to meet their child's unique needs. Furthermore, we must end the cancer of wokeness that has infiltrated so many of our schools. As Senator, my battleplan will always be that educators work for parents and children, not the other way around. Crime Thanks to the insanity of the defund the police movement, widespread acceptance of rioting, and corrupt Soros district attorneys, crime is running amok on American streets. The homicide rate alone increased by 30% in 2020! Although the soft-on-crime philosophy is frequently couched in terms of “racial justice,” we know that the Democrats’ defund the police movement has hurt racial minorities the most. As crime has increased, so has the desire for Americans to defend themselves. The only thing that’s gone up more than crime is gun ownership. Given Americans’ clear desire to protect themselves, I reject the idea that the Second Amendment is outdated. Every dictator who has seized power from a free society has first seized their weapons. The people who want to take our guns are the same people responsible for our crime wave. As Senator, I will fight for your ability to defend yourself and your family. Woke & State In just 20 years, the importance of patriotism to Americans has dropped from 70% to 38%, and the value of religion dropped from 62% to 39%. Community involvement has sunk from 62% to 27% in just four years. The cause of this cultural damage is a new religion called wokeness. Wokeness has infiltrated almost every aspect of our daily life, fomenting hostility and anger under the false flag of “tolerance.” While many companies who subscribe to ESG guidelines “get woke and go broke,” wokeness now has the force of law under the corrupt Biden Administration. Wokeness is a false religion with no business in our government. It must be ripped out wherever it shows its ugly head. As Senator, I will be woke’s worst enemy. STRONGER ECONOMY Every country enforces border security and travel of non-citizens. However, this has become the defining controversy of our time. Americans have been so kind-hearted for so long that the idea of enforcing our own laws has become controversial. A sensible immigration policy is not what the enemies of freedom want. The globalists who hate America have made it clear that illegal immigration is the way they’ll do it. When the bad guys tell you what their evil plan is, you should probably pay attention. As Senator, I will fight to restore the sensible immigration policy so America stays the envy of the world for another 200 years. Energy If the government got out of the way, we wouldn’t need to import oil from the Middle East. No American anywhere should accept the crippling of domestic energy that we’ve seen since 2021 – certainly not in the name of hysterical environmentalism. Environmental stewardship is important, but destroying our way of life is not. I'm a firm believer that technological advances have benefited mankind and the environment in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. As your Senator, I will fight for America’s and Utah’s energy independence every day. Defense After years of relative calm, the world has become very dangerous under the Biden Administration. The Taliban controls Afghanistan. Russia has invaded its neighbor. China wants to become the world’s superpower. Now is not the time for America to become weak – or reckless. The priority of American defense must be defending America. Military force must only be used in the defense of our nation, her interests, and her allies. We cannot afford to maintain 750 military bases across 80 countries for free. Other nations must provide for their own defense. My five priorities are:
America can stay the world’s superpower, but not without real change real fast.[8] |
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| —Trent Staggs’s campaign website (2024)[9] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. Senate Utah |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 5, 2023
- ↑ Email communication with the candidate on March 26
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Staggs, U.S. Senate, “Issues,” accessed March 10, 2024
