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ROOSEVELT — A small town mayor and businessman from Duchesne County is the latest Republican to throw his hat into the ring to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate.
Rod Bird Jr., the mayor of his hometown of Roosevelt, announced his campaign Monday, with a pledge to use more than $1 million of his own money to aid his effort in a race that already includes several big names with more potential challengers circling the waters.
"I'm running to fight for working families, everyday Utahns and small businesses who are struggling due to inflation that has been made worse by Joe Biden's failed policies and years of career politicians selling us out," he said. "We need to get federal spending under control and get back to the basics that have made our country great. It's time to get serious about securing our border, guarding American jobs, rescuing our constitutional rights and putting regular people ahead of special interests."
Bird drew on his humble beginnings in a campaign ad, while taking aim at establishment Democrats including former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"Guys like me aren't supposed to run for office," he said. "We aren't born into money or power. For us, success isn't given; it's earned."
As a child, Bird said his family lost their home in a fire and were forced to live in a small shed for a time.
"The only thing career politicians are worried about losing is their next election," he said.
The lessons of hard work he learned from his father have helped his business career, he said, as he went on to found Paragon Oilfield Products, a Roosevelt-based industrial and agricultural supplier.
Bird is running on a platform based on limited government, securing the southern border and "putting regular people ahead of special interests." A gun rights supporter, he is a member of the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, National Association of Gun Rights, the Utah Shooting Sports Council and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Bird filed as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, less than a week after Romney announced he would not seek another Senate term. He joins what is expected to become a crowded Republican field.
Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, on Monday announced his planned resignation from the Legislature ahead of his likely Senate run. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs announced his candidacy in May, and two additional candidates, Tyrone Jensen and Gabriel Stuart Lobo-Blanco, have filed candidacy declarations with the FEC.
