Trent Staggs (born May 10, 1974) is an American entrepreneur and politician, serving as the mayor of Riverton,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

since 2018. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he previously served on the Riverton City Council and is a candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Early life and career

Staggs was raised in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, as one of 10 children. He graduated from

Bingham High School Bingham High School is a public high school located in South Jordan, Utah, United States. It is one of eight high schools in the Jordan School District. Teacher/pupil ratios are budgeted at 1 to 27.3, with actual class sizes varying. The school's ...

in South Jordan, Utah, and served a mission for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

. He graduated from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

with degrees in political science and economics. He later earned an MBA from the Marriott School of Management at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. He is married and has two children.

Member of the Riverton City Council (2014–2018)

Mayor of Riverton (2018–present)

Staggs was elected mayor of Riverton in 2017 with 60% of the vote. In 2020, he was the Republican nominee for mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah. He lost to Democrat Jenny Wilson. In 2021, he was re-elected Riverton mayor unopposed. Staggs left the Unified Police Department (UPD) of Greater Salt Lake in favor if one that serves exclusively Riverton City, based on concerns that low-crime cities in Salt Lake County, like Riverton, were paying too much for the service and not seeing an increase in the number of officers. In June 2019, the city swore in 35 officers for the new police department. He also led an initiative to reduce misuse of opioids in the city in partnership with Utah-based medication disposal organization called NarcX. In 2019, he rejected a proposal that would have increased the salary of the Riverton mayor. In 2023, he was named best mayor in Utah by the Best of State organization.

2024 U.S. Senate election in Utah

In May, Staggs became the first person to officially announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. In an op-ed for Real Clear Politics in June 2023, Staggs wrote that “If our children are going to grow up with the same opportunities we had, we need leaders who are committed to the conservative principles of smaller government, safer families, and stronger economy.” At the Utah state Republican convention on April 27, Staggs won 69.7% of the delegate vote to become the party's official candidate in a four-way primary in June.

Endorsements

Staggs’s campaign has been endorsed by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep.

Andy Biggs Andrew Steven Biggs (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the ...

, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Kari Lake,

Charlie Kirk Charles J. Kirk (born 1993) is an American conservative activist and radio talk show host. He founded Turning Point USA with Bill Montgomery in 2012, and has served as its executive director since. He is the CEO of Turning Point Action, Stude ...

, former Trump Administration officials

Kash Patel Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel (born February 25, 1980) is an American attorney, children's book author and former government official. He served as chief of staff to the Acting United States Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump. Pa ...

and

Ric Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American political operative, diplomat, TV personality, and public relations consultant who served as Acting Director of National Intelligence in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in 202 ...

, the Utah Republican Veterans’ caucus, the Utah State Fraternal Order of Police, more than 30 elected officials from across Utah, and NBA all time steals and assists leader John Stockton.

References

External links

Trent Staggs at Ballotpedia

Trent Staggs for Utah official campaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staggs, Trent 1974 births Living people 21st-century mayors of places in Utah Utah Republicans University of Utah alumni Marriott School of Management alumni Utah city council members Mayors of places in Utah People from Riverton, Utah American Mormon missionaries in French Polynesia 21st-century American politicians