John Ream Curtis (born May 10, 1960) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Utah. A member of the Republican Party, Curtis served from 2017 to 2025 as the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district and from 2010 to 2017 as the 44th mayor of Provo.
Curtis was first elected to Congress in a 2017 special election to succeed Jason Chaffetz in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was reelected three more times. In the 2024 election, Curtis was elected to the U.S. Senate to succeed Mitt Romney.
Curtis is generally considered a moderate Republican. He is the founder of the Conservative Climate Caucus and was a member of the centrist Republican Governance Group. Curtis did not support Donald Trump during the 2024 Republican primaries. Given his votes for bills such as the Respect for Marriage Act, analysts have generally considered Curtis's positions as similar to Romney's, although he has rejected such characterizations.
Early life, education, and career John Curtis was born on May 10, 1960, in Ogden, Utah. His parents were Jesse Duckworth "Dee" Curtis and Hazel Dawn Curtis (née Ream). They married in 1955.
Curtis attended high school at Skyline High School, where he met his wife, Sue Snarr. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in business management. He worked for OC Tanner and the Citizen Watch Company before taking a position as COO of a Provo-based company, Action Target, in 2000.
Curtis ran for the Utah State Senate in 2000 as a Democrat against Curt Bramble, losing 33% to 66%. From 2002 to 2003, he served as vice chairman and chairman of the Utah County Democratic Party.
Mayor of Provo Curtis was elected mayor of Provo in 2009, defeating former legislator Stephen Clark with 53% of the vote on a platform of safety, prosperity, and unity. As mayor, he focused on economic development, revitalization of downtown Provo, and getting a beach at Utah Lake. He launched clean air and recreation initiatives, preserved Rock Canyon, and launched a blog widely read by residents. He also assisted with the purchase of iProvo, Provo City's existing fiber internet network, by Google Fiber.
Curtis was reelected in 2013 with 86% of the vote. In 2016, he announced he would not seek a third term. Under his leadership, Provo saw various improvements, and he maintained a high approval rating, averaging 93% in his final years in office.
During Curtis's mayoralty, there was controversy involving the Provo police chief, John King. Allegations of sexual misconduct by King emerged, leading to a 2018 lawsuit that claimed the City and Curtis did not adequately protect employees from King's behavior. Reporters learned that King had been investigated and forced to resign in 2012 from his post at the Baltimore Police Department following similar complaints of sexual assault, a fact not discovered in a background check before he was hired by Provo. Curtis said that any meetings regarding King focused on administrative concerns and that he never intended to discourage reports of misconduct. He ordered King to retake sexual harassment training and, upon learning of a rape accusation in 2017, requested King's resignation. The city paid $750,000 to settle the lawsuit in July 2018.
Awards Community Hero Award (Silicon Slopes, 2017) Civic Innovator of the Year Award (UVU, Office of New Urban Mechanics, 2017) Outstanding Citizen Award (BYU, Office of Civic Engagement Leadership, 2017) 2017 Freedom Festival Grand Marshal Person of the Year (Utah Clean Air, 2017) Person of the Year Award (Utah Valley Magazine, 2017) Top Elected Official on Social Media (Government Social Media, 2015) The Star Award (SCERA Center for the Arts, 2015)
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2017 special
On May 25, 2017, Curtis announced his candidacy for that year's special election in Utah's 3rd congressional district to replace Jason Chaffetz, who resigned on June 30. On August 15, Curtis won the Republican nomination over Christopher Herrod and Tanner Ainge. On November 7, he won the general election over Democratic nominee Kathie Allen.
Tenure Curtis was sworn into office on November 13, 2017. Since being elected to Congress, he has held more than 100 town hall meetings, including a "walking town hall" to the top of Mount Timpanogos.
On October 16, 2019, Utah Policy reported Curtis had the second-highest approval rating among Utah's four U.S. representatives. According to the Utah Policy and Y2 Analytics poll, 45% of 3rd Congressional District registered voters approved of his performance.
FiveThirtyEight found that during Donald Trump's first presidency, Curtis voted with Trump's preferred position 94.4% of the time. Curtis has a reputation for being occasionally critical of Trump. On December 18, 2019, he voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump, calling it "a rather easy decision". Of the 195 Republicans who voted, all voted against both impeachment articles. Despite calling for Trump to be censured for the January 6 attack, Curtis voted against the second impeachment of Trump.
Curtis did not join the majority of Republican members of Congress who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. He voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.
On May 19, 2021, Curtis and 34 other Republicans voted to establish a commission to investigate the events of January 6 modeled after the 9/11 Commission. Curtis did not vote to establish the Select Committee to investigate the events of January 6 that received only two Republican votes in the House.
In 2021, Curtis co-sponsored the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act. The bill would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and protect the free exercise of religion.
On July 19, 2022, Curtis and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. Curtis was noted for not endorsing Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
Curtis voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
As of August 2024, the conservative group Heritage Action gave Curtis an 88% score for votes taken during his congressional career, higher than it gave the average House Republican. From 2017 to 2024, the NRA Political Victory Fund gave Curtis consistent "A" ratings, endorsing him from 2020 onward. The anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has given Curtis an A+ rating. The fiscally conservative organization Club for Growth has given his congressional tenure a score of 84%. The environmental group League of Conservation Voters has given his congressional tenure a score of 6%. As of 2023, the AFL–CIO trade union assessed Curtis's entire congressional tenure at 15%. The Communication Workers of America trade union has given his congressional tenure a score of 9%.
Conservative Climate Caucus On June 28, 2021, Curtis announced the new Conservative Climate Caucus in a press conference at the Capitol. He serves as chairman and leads the caucus's 73 members, including representatives from every committee with jurisdiction over climate policy and various ranking members. The caucus's purpose is to educate Republican House members on conservative climate solutions that align with Republican principles. Curtis said: "Without Republicans engaging in this debate, we will not make the progress we need to make as a country. Any significant accomplishment in the United States has been bipartisan. The ideas that Republicans bring to the table are essential to meeting the goals that we all have for a better environment."
Sponsored legislation Bears Ears National Monument On December 4, 2017, Curtis and fellow Utah representatives Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart, and Mia Love introduced a bill to codify the Trump administration's reduction of Bears Ears National Monument by creating two new national monuments in the remaining areas Trump defined.John Curtis, Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart, Mia Love (December 4, 2017). "115th Congress 1st Session H. R. 4532" . naturalresources.house.gov. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
On January 9, 2018, members of the Tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition testified against the bill, including Shaun Chapoose, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe and Utah Business Committee.Vincent Schilling (January 11, 2018). "Heated Exchanges as Utah Lawmakers Push Bill for Vast Reduction of Bears Ears Monument". Indian Country Today. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
SPEED Act On June 13, 2018, Curtis introduced H.R. 6088, the Streamlining Permitting Efficiencies in Energy Development (SPEED) Act. The legislation proposes streamlining the oil and gas permitting process by allowing the Bureau of Land Management to expedite approval for drilling activities that pose little or no environmental harm. The bill would have amended the Mineral Leasing Act to establish procedures where an operator may conduct drilling and production activities on available federal and non-federal land. Community members criticized Curtis for his sponsorship, saying the act omitted the required environmental impact analysis and allowed drilling on land without notifying the public or providing an opportunity to comment.
Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act On December 12, 2018, Curtis introduced H.R. 7271, the "Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act", the companion bill to Senator Orrin Hatch's legislation. The bill creates a Public-Private Advisory Council to provide a direct line to federal government agencies to streamline bureaucratic hurdles while empowering nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations in fighting human trafficking.
Government Shutdown Prevention Act On January 16, 2019, Curtis and Lloyd Smucker introduced the Government Shutdown Prevention Act. The legislation aims to end political game-playing and fix Congress's dysfunctional budget process. If passed, it would automatically continue government funding through a continuing resolution. The bill would implement a five percent spending penalty when the continuing resolution begins. Federal spending would be reduced by two percent 60 days after the first day of the fiscal year and by an additional two percent each subsequent 60-day period. Curtis said, "The American people expect Congress to do its most basic job: pass a budget and fund the government. If we can't, then we shouldn't get paid." Curtis asked the Clerk of the House to withhold his pay until Congress fully funded the government. He believes that Republicans and Democrats should be held accountable to find common ground to solve funding impasses.
Transparency in Student Lending Act On January 28, 2019, Curtis introduced the Transparency in Student Lending Act, legislation to improve the information provided to students and families taking on federal loans to finance higher education. The bill would require the disclosure of the annual percentage rate (APR) for federal student loans before disbursement. The APR assists borrowers by showing the true cost of a loan, helping students and their families make more informed financial decisions. Curtis said, "As the primary provider of the vast majority of student loans and education financing options, the federal government should provide a transparent and full accounting of associated costs and fees for borrowers. I represent the youngest Congressional district in the country with an average age of 26 years old; these students must be equipped to make the right decisions for their families and their futures."