There are now six Republicans seeking to succeed Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate next year. Carolyn Phippen joined the crowded 2024 race for the GOP nomination on Wednesday afternoon.
Phippen, a former staffer for Sen. Mike Lee, kicked off her campaign with the promise to upend entrenched political power structures.
“Joe Biden and the career politicians in Washington have led us to the brink of disaster — it’s time for new leadership,” Phippen said in a press release announcing her candidacy.
This is Phippen’s second run for political office. Last year, she defeated incumbent state Rep. Jeff Stenquist at the GOP convention. But, after Stenquist collected signatures to advance to the primary, Phippen lost the primary to Stenquist by 293 votes.
Around 100 supporters attended Wednesday’s campaign launch at the Draper Historic Park gazebo, which was decorated with a large campaign sign and American flags.
Phippen told reporters she’s not a politician, but that will give her an edge in next year’s crowded race.
The candidate describes herself as a “conservative warrior” and has championed several far-right issues in recent years, including falsehoods about the 2020 election.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Carolyn Phippen announces that she is running for U.S. Senate, at Draper Historic Park, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Phippen is seen marching in a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. She’s also on the board of Utah Citizens for the Constitution, a right-wing group that invited Christian nationalist David Barton to speak in Utah as part of a “Constitution Day” celebration.
During her 2022 campaign, Phippen was endorsed by cardiologist Peter McCullough, who gained notoriety by promoting misinformation and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine.
If Phippen is to be successful next year, she’ll have to buck more than a century of history. Utah has never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Mike Lee defeated Republicans Becky Edwards and Ally Isom in the 2022 GOP U.S. Senate primary election.
The rest of the Republican field includes outgoing Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird, podcaster Ty Jensen and state employee Josh Randall. Wilson and Bird have each loaned their campaigns more than $1 million so far.
