Utah New Members 2019

Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah)

DATE OF BIRTH: March 12, 1947
RESIDENCE: Holladay, Utah
OCCUPATION: Businessman
EDUCATION: B.A., Brigham Young University; J.D., M.B.A, Harvard University
FAMILY: Wife, Ann; five sons

Mitt Romney is finally heading to Washington. Six years after his loss to former President Obama in the 2012 presidential election, Romney will be coming to the nation’s capital as a senator for Utah.

Romney replaces retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R), who held the seat since 1977.

It’s the latest achievement in a long political career that has seen its share of ups and downs.

After a business career that saw him found the private equity firm Bain Capital, Romney first ran for office unsuccessfully in 1994.

He later took on a job running the organizing committee for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games and later served as governor of Massachusetts.

 As a senator, Romney’s complicated relationship with President Trump will be under the microscope.

He blasted Trump during the 2016 campaign and accused him of hijacking the party. After the election, though, Romney was seen as a potential secretary of State.

Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah-03)

DATE OF BIRTH: May 10, 1960
RESIDENCE: Provo, Utah
OCCUPATION: Lawmaker
EDUCATION: B.S., Brigham Young University
FAMILY: Wife, Sue; six children

Rep. John Curtis easily won reelection in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. Curtis was first elected in the solidly conservative district in 2017 in a special election to replace former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R) after he retired.

This year, Curtis defeated a challenge from Democrat James Singer in the general election.

Before his election to Congress, Curtis served as mayor of Provo, Utah, for two terms. As mayor he was known for his social media presence, reaching out to residents with his blog and livestreaming official events. He was named the No. 1 elected official on social media in 2015 by Government Social Media.

Prior to elected office, Curtis was chief operating officer for Action Target, which makes shooting range equipment, helping build it into a multimillion-dollar company.

A Utah native, Curtis was born in Salt Lake City. He attended Brigham Young University and earned a degree in business management.