Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), who is running for Senate to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), said in 2017 that former President Donald Trump’s border wall carries “pent-up racism.”
Curtis is just one of the many candidates running to replace Romney. He was the mayor of Provo and considered himself a Democrat until 2006.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, April 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
During an online debate in 2017, he said, when running for Congress, that hopes to continue then-President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“I think Utah wants the Trump agenda: tax reform, a strong economy, a strong national defense, great Supreme Court nominations,” Curtis said.
Jim Bennett, a third-party moderate candidate under the United Utah Party banner, called out Curtis for running two ads on Facebook calling to “build the wall” and another to “stop sanctuary cities,” which were later taken down.
In this June 23, 2020, file photo, United State Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott gives President Donald Trump a tour of a section of the border wall in San Luis, Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“I regret with all my heart the Facebook post. It was put up by a third-party vendor, and I also will agree that the response was less than perfect as well. … Instead of actually causing a meaningful dialogue about immigration, it actually just increased the level of divisiveness, and I found myself a victim of being attacked with divisiveness as well,” Curtis said, blaming a third-party vendor.
Curtis then said that he would support Trump’s border wall if it is the best measure for border security; however, he explained that the idea of a border wall “carries all of this pent-up racism.”
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Bennett called out Curtis for his vague stance on the border wall.
He said, “You can regret the post. You can regret the response. But what’s difficult is figuring out where you stand. Do you support a wall or do you not support a wall? When you get to the House of Representatives, you don’t get a multiple choice option. You have to vote yea or nay.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
