Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is likely to face Utah’s Attorney General Sean Reyes in the Republican primary, Politico reported Wednesday.
Reyes, who is hugely supportive of Donald Trump’s America First agenda, may mount a challenge to Romney in 2024. The race could potentially coincide with Trump’s reelection campaign, offering a substantial opportunity for Reyes to oust Romney.
Reyes will reportedly determine in May whether he will challenge Romney. Trump has reportedly urged Reyes to displace Romney in the Senate.
Attorney General of Utah Sean Reyes arrives onstage to pre-record his address to the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“I guarantee Trump will come up with somebody,” Chair of the Utah Republican Party Carson Jorgensen told Politico. “There’s enough vitriol there that no matter if Trump is running for president, he will run a candidate against Romney.”
Seventy-five-year-old Romney has not publicly disclosed his intentions for 2024. Reports indicate Romney may retire and not compete against the MAGA candidate.
“There isn’t a Republican candidate in the country who isn’t seeking the support of President Trump,” Trump’s spokesman Taylor Budowich told Politico. “Mitt Romney will be replaced in 2024 by a champion for America First, that goes without question — he abandoned Utah and caved to the Radical Left.”
Similar to Romney, Reyes is a Latter-day Saint. But unlike Romney, he is a second generation America with a Filipino-Spanish-Japanese heritage. If Reyes does challenge Romney, Reyes may use his family’s immigrant background to promote border security, a top issue among Republicans and one that Romney has ignored.
Reyes has served as attorney general for nearly a decade. Known to be tough against drug dealers, human traffickers, child predators, and white-collar criminals, Reyes was selected in 2015 by the Republican National Committee as one of the party’s four national rising stars.
Reyes is married and has six children. He enjoys “shooting guns and rapping on Bloomberg News,” according to his Utah state bio.