Johnathan Walker:Utah candidates for Mitt Romney’s open US Senate seat square off in debate

OGDEN,Johnathan Walker Utah (AP) — The Republican and Democratic contenders vying for Mitt Romney’s open U.S. Senate seat in Utah are set to square off Thursday night in a debate that will likely center on their shared focus on climate policy.

Republican U.S. Rep. John Curtis, who leads the Conservative Climate Caucus on Capitol Hill, faces an environmental activist and mountaineer who has tried to undercut her opponent’s credentials as a climate-focused congressman.

Democrat Caroline Gleich is the clear underdog in a deeply red state that has not elected a member of her party to the Senate since 1970. Utah voters typically favor moderate Republicans such as Romney and Curtis in statewide elections.

The winner in November will succeed one of Washington’s most prominent centrists and an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump.

Curtis has often been compared to Romney for his willingness to push back against Trump and others in his party who have falsely claimed that climate change is a hoax. The congressman and former mayor of Provo pledges to carve out his own brand of conservatism if elected to the Senate.

In a Western state where residents value outdoor recreation, air quality and water access, both Curtis and Gleich view the environment as a winning issue — but their approaches differ. Each aims to convince voters during Thursday’s debate that they have the better blueprint to tackle climate change and protect Utah’s vast natural resources.

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Curtis, 64, is the longest-serving member of Utah’s House delegation. His seven years on Capitol Hill have been defined by efforts to bring conservatives to the table on what has historically been a Democrat-dominated issue. He has carved out a Republican approach to climate policy that he said aims to lower emissions without compromising American jobs or economic principles.

He was backed in the primary election by some leading environmental interest groups such as EDF Action, the advocacy partner of the Environmental Defense Fund, which typically throws its support behind Democratic candidates.

Gleich, 38, has pulled in the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and Protect Our Winters, an environmental group she used to work with to lobby lawmakers, including Curtis.

Still, Curtis has received broad support from the state’s coal, oil and gas hubs. He has urged lawmakers to not rule out the fossil fuel industry — an economic driver in his congressional district — as part of an affordable clean energy future. The U.S. he argues, can achieve its emission-reduction goals while still using some natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels when combusted.

Gleich has accused Curtis of pandering to the fossil fuel industry and has criticized him for voting against climate-focused proposals posed by Democrats, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. If elected, Gleich said she would support phasing out federal subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and would push to invest in public transportation and electric vehicle infrastructure.