GOP Rep. John Curtis looks poised to be Utah’s next senator after victory in a primary Tuesday night against right-wing candidate Trent Staggs.
After a projected primary win, Curtis now heads to a general election in November where he should glide to victory: former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020 by over 20 points.
Despite having the weight of Trump behind him, Staggs was not able capture a victory on Tuesday in a blow to the ex-president’s record.
Staggs has a was once tapped to a lead a company that was shut down after the FDA alleged it had falsely marketed its ‘natural’ Viagra product, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.
A victory for Curtis ensures the Utah Senate seat will look more like it did under Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, rather than a ‘Trumpy’ leader.
Despite having the weight of Trump behind him, Staggs was not able cinch a victory on Tuesday in a blow to the ex-president’s record
Romney governed with a seemingly bygone focus on slimming the national debt, shrinking government and supporting foreign allies.
Romney, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, has long found himself at odds with Trump.
DailyMail.com previously reported that Staggs, a member of the Mormon church, was once tapped to a lead a company that was shut down after the FDA alleged it had falsely marketed its ‘natural’ Viagra product.
Staggs had branded himself as a ‘classic Utah success story’ and his website notes he has ‘more than 20 years of experience running and managing successful Fortune 500 companies to small- and medium-sized enterprises.’
But Staggs took over as president of soon-to-be defunct company Regeneca in 2015.
The company was forced to recall its erectile dysfunction medication, RegenErect, three years earlier, after the FDA alleged the so-called ‘natural’ product contained ordinary Cialis and Viagra which they had not disclosed, potentially putting users at risk of deadly health complications.
U.S. Rep. John Curtis speaks during the Utah Senate primary debate
Staggs took over as president of soon-to-be defunct company Regeneca in 2015
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REVEALED: 'Fake Viagra' Utah GOP Senate candidate Trent Staggs who is running campaign based on his business experience filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and claimed $1M in liabilities
The FDA also alleged that the company’s weight loss supplement that was marketed as ‘all natural’ was actually just amphetamine – a stimulant drug.
Staggs noted that he was not the leader of the company when it was selling the erectile dysfunction medication, and he’d been brought on to turn things around.
‘All of these issues, which predated my arrival, are exactly why they brought me into the company as interim president. The owners needed someone to evaluate the business and see if there was a path forward,’ he told DailyMail.com in a statement.