Corey Norman said Thursday that John Curtis has not said yes or no about a run for governor, but he was not prepared to shut down the idea. Asked about a possible Curtis campaign, Norman said, “This is the reason I’m not closing the door.”
Norman said he has been hearing from people about the possibility of Curtis entering the 2028 governor’s race. “I would not be telling you the truth if I told you…if I said that people don’t call me (about him running), because they do,” he said, adding that Curtis has been “an executive problem solver at heart” and would make “an exceptional governor.” He also said, “John Curtis will serve where the people of Utah want him to serve. If that is being governor, or if that is staying with the Senate, he will serve with the people of Utah want him.”
The discussion matters because Curtis only entered the Senate at the beginning of 2025 and is not scheduled to finish that term until 2031. If he sought the governor’s office and won, he would have to leave the Senate early. Under Utah law, Gov. Spencer Cox would receive three names selected by the Utah Legislature to fill the seat, and the appointee would serve the remainder of Curtis’s term before having to run again in 2030 to keep the job.
The governor’s race is already taking shape because Cox has said he will not seek a third term. That has pushed attention toward 2028 even as Utah is still focused on the 2026 midterm cycle. Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz told Republican delegates at the 2026 GOP state convention that he was “considering” a run and has set up a political action committee that could fund a campaign. House Speaker Mike Schultz and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson are also among the names being discussed, though neither has said publicly whether they plan to run.
The biggest unresolved question is not whether Curtis is admired in GOP circles. It is whether he would actually give up a Senate seat he just won for a race that is still two years away. For now, Norman’s answer leaves the door open, and that is enough to keep the speculation alive.
