SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Sunday, March 10 will bring the return of ABC4’s Inside Utah Politics, our deep dive into Beehive State politics — and U.S. Senate race frontrunner Rep. John Curtis will be our first guest.

Inside Utah Politics will be hosted by ABC4 Anchor Brien McElhatten, who said he plans to bring in-depth coverage of Utah’s political scene — at the city, county, state, and federal level — every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. An encore presentation will also stream on our ABC4 Replay channel starting at 10 a.m. and repeating throughout Sunday afternoon.

“Our goal on Inside Utah Politics to understand not only the positions of the candidates and elected officials, but the philosophies that inform their thinking,” McElhatten said. “Through our conversations each week, I hope our viewers will get to know the people who work on their behalf or ask for their vote.”

Sunday’s first guest is long-time U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who is currently topping local polls as a candidate for Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat. Romney, 76, announced in September 2023 that he is not seeking another term in office. His current term ends in January 2025.

Curtis, meanwhile, faces a crowded field for the seat, with 11 Republican opponents joining him in the June 25 primary, including Jeremy Lewis Friedbaum, Brent Orrin Hatch, Brian Earl Jenkins, Caroline Phippen, Josh Randall, Trent Staggs, Chandler H. Tanner, Jason J. Walton, Clark S. White, and Brad Wilson.

Additionally, Democrats are running three contenders for their primary, including Caroline Gleich, Laird Fetzer Hamblin, and Archie Williams III. Two Independent American candidates are also running: Carlton E. Bowen and Robert Newcomb.

Curtis originally declined to run for the seat in October 2023. Curtis said at the time he believed the U.S. needed elected leaders who are more concerned about doing the job they have now, rather than getting the next job. He felt making a run for Senate would leave “a commitment unfilled.”

However, by January, he announced he was taking a “fresh look” at the seat after he said he received an outpouring of support from Utahns. Curtis has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017.

“There’s a lot of noise and animosity in today’s political discourse,” McElhatten said. “Our goal is to cut through that and serve as a platform for facts and understanding.”