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ROOSEVELT — Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird Jr. ended his U.S. Senate campaign Wednesday, filing instead for candidacy in Utah's 3rd Congressional District at the Utah lieutenant governor's office.
Bird had announced his bid for the Senate seat held by outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney in mid-September. But following reports that 3rd District congressman Rep. John Curtis was reconsidering swapping a House campaign for a Senate one, Bird told the Deseret News he was open to doing the opposite.
The field of Republican candidates hoping to replace Romney include Curtis, who made his intentions official on Wednesday, as well as former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, and the son of late Sen. Orrin Hatch, Brent Hatch, among other 2024 hopefuls.
Prior to his election in 2017, the small town mayor worked as founder and president of Paragon Oilfield Products, which provides pipes and hoses for industrial and agricultural use. Bird's brief Senate campaign focused on his rural background, limited government and securing the southern border.
Bird had loaned himself more than $1 million for his long-shot Senate bid which will now carry over to his House campaign.
Bird joins former Utah County Republican Party Chair Stewart Peay in vying for the Utah GOP nomination. State Sen. Mike Kennedy and former 3rd District candidate Chris Herrod are expected to enter the race in coming days as well.
