OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The Republican and Democratic contenders vying for Mitt Romney’s open U.S. Senate seat in Utah will meet Thursday evening in a debate likely to revolve around their shared focus on climate policy.
Republican U.S. Rep. John Curtis, who leads the Conservative Climate Caucus on Capitol Hill, is facing off against an environmentalist and mountain climber who has sought to undermine her opponent’s reputation as a climate-focused congresswoman.
Democrat Caroline Gleich is the clear underdog in a deep-red state that hasn’t elected a member of her party to the Senate since 1970. Utah voters typically favor moderate Republicans like Romney and Curtis in statewide elections.
November’s winner will succeed one of Washington’s most prominent centrists and an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump.
Curtis is often compared to Romney for his willingness to push back against Trump and others in his party who have falsely claimed climate change is a hoax. The congressman and former mayor of Provo promises to develop his own brand of conservatism if elected to the Senate.
In a Western state where residents value outdoor recreation, air quality and access to water, both Curtis and Gleich see the environment as a winning issue — but their approaches differ. Each aims to convince voters during Thursday’s debate that they have the better blueprint to tackle climate change and protect Utah’s vast natural resources.
Curtis, 64, is the longest-serving member of Utah’s House of Representatives delegation. His seven years on Capitol Hill were marked by efforts to bring conservatives to the table on what has historically been a Democratic-dominated issue. He has developed a Republican approach to climate policy that he says focuses on cutting emissions without endangering American jobs or economic principles.
He was backed in the primaries by some leading environmental advocacy groups, such as EDF Action, the advocacy partner of the Environmental Defense Fund, which typically throws its support behind Democratic candidates.
Gleich, 38, has enlisted the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and Protect Our Winters, an environmental group she worked with to lobby lawmakers, including Curtis.
Still, Curtis has received broad support from the state’s coal, oil and gas hubs. He has urged lawmakers not to rule out the fossil fuel industry — an economic engine in his congressional district — as part of an affordable clean energy future. The U.S., he argues, can meet its emissions reduction goals while still using natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide when burned than other fossil fuels.
Gleich has accused Curtis of pandering to the fossil fuel industry and criticized him for voting against Democrats’ climate-focused proposals such as the Inflation Reduction Act. If elected, Gleich said she would support phasing out federal subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and push for investments in public transportation and electric vehicle infrastructure.
