Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who moved to Utah and was elected to the Senate there in 2018, was the only Republican senator to vote for President Trump's removal from office during his first impeachment trial.
So even though he defeated a right-wing challenger by more than 40 percentage points in the state's Republican Senate primary that year and won the general election by a margin nearly as large, many pundits believe his criticism of Trump could make Romney vulnerable in 2024 if he seeks re-election.
Meanwhile, Riverton Mayor Trent Skaggs has already announced he will run for the Senate next year, and several others, including former U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz, are expected to enter the fray.
Brian Camenker, president of MassResistance, recalls dealing with Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts.
"The leftist mainstream media really supported him; I think that's the main reason he got elected," Camenker submits. "The mainstream media, and to some extent the Mormon Church, supported him, and it drove everybody crazy."
But now, the pro-family activist thinks the temperature in the deeply conservative state is "pretty cold for Romney."
"Everybody I know in Utah was incensed when he voted to impeach Trump, and they just don't like him," he relays. "It doesn't surprise me. I don't think he could win another election there."
That is why Camenker thinks so many people are planning to vie for his seat.
Romney has not yet announced whether he plans to seek re-election.
