Utah primaries test Trump’s pull in a state that has half-heartedly embraced him

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
Associated Press

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Republican voters in Utah are set to decide whether retiring U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney will be succeeded by someone similarly willing to challenge GOP hard-liners or a farther-right candidate who pledges to fall in line with former President Donald Trump. Tuesday’s primary duel between GOP factions will test whether Trump’s influence and appeal have grown among Republican voters in Utah. The state is a rare Republican stronghold that half-heartedly embraced the former president in past elections. Suburban mayor Trent Staggs rode Trump’s endorsement to a GOP convention nomination. He’s hoping it will also propel him past the more moderate front-runner, U.S. Rep. John Curtis.