OGDEN — The Weber County Republican Women hosted a forum to introduce voters to the candidates for Utah’s open seat in the U.S. Senate at the Weber County Sheriff’s Training Center on Monday.

A multitude of candidates were in attendance for the forum, including Brent Orrin Hatch, former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, Jeremy Friedbaum, Carolyn Phippen, Josh Randall, Riverton mayor Trent Staggs, Chandler Tanner and Jason Walton.

Meanwhile, Rep. John Curtis — who’s currently in Washington, D.C. — was represented on the panel by campaign manager Adrielle Herring.

Although his name was mentioned only a handful of times throughout the forum, several of the candidates were on a clear mission to distinguish themselves from outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney, who will be retiring at the conclusion of his term in January 2025.

“Utah deserves another Mike Lee. And that’s exactly what I would give us in this state. A true conservative,” Staggs declared in his introduction.

Said Hatch: “There are a lot of people here, and a lot of candidates at every level, who claim to be conservative. But, really, if you look at their history, they’re not.”

Bringing a more conservative, constitutionally minded approach to governance was a common theme throughout the forum, with candidates criticizing the administration of President Joe Biden, liberal agendas in Washington, and purported overreach by government agencies and the executive branch.

“I believe that the enemies back in Washington, D.C., with these liberal leftist policies are as much of a threat to our country and our prosperity as our foreign enemies are,” Wilson said in response to a question about diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.

Meanwhile, Tanner expressed similar concerns while answering a question about Environmental Protection Agency standards.

“The problem is the liberal agenda that pushes us toward energy sources that we’re not ready to adopt. No one in the area is opposed to moving towards sustainable, renewable energy,” he said. “They do oppose doing it ahead of time.”

Illegal immigration and border security was a hot topic throughout the forum; candidates circled back to the issue time and time again. For her part, Herring opined that both Republicans and Democrats are exploiting the issue for votes rather than addressing it in a meaningful way.

“Representatives on both sides of this aisle dig into their own trenches and spout out the red meat and the talking points to their base in order to raise money and to get votes instead of solving the problem,” Herring said. “John Curtis has had the courage to dig into this and actually make proposals to work with his colleagues to try to find fixes.”

Wilson, Hatch, Staggs and Phippen all made efforts to spotlight their past political experience, and Herring offered a similar pitch on Curtis’ behalf. The remainder of the candidates attempted to illustrate how their experience outside of the political realm has prepared them for the Senate.

“I’m not a politician. I think I’m the only one here that’s never been a politician,” Walton said. “I’m a businessperson who I think feels like a lot of you — I literally couldn’t take it anymore.”

Said Randall: “We need to have a different type of voice where we can bring people to the right side of the issues.”

While multiple candidates alluded to a level of agreement on the issues at hand, there were a handful of tense moments during the forum.

Phippen took aim at Staggs for championing universal testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Riverton mayor vehemently denied having done. Friedbaum, meanwhile, hit Curtis on his past association with the Democratic Party. Several candidates also sought clarity on Curtis’ stance on DEI programs.

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