He does not want to be seen as a replacement for retiring Senator Mitt Romney (Republican of Utah), nor does he want to be seen as the conservative “climate guy.”

Republican Rep. John Curtis of Utah, who just won a hotly contested Republican primary for Utah's vacant Senate seat, is warning Beehive State voters they could be “disappointed” if they expect him to be a carbon copy of his predecessor or Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).

“The reality is that while I have great respect for Senator Romney and Senator Lee, I am just different from them,” Curtis told the Washington Examiner in an interview.

As Senate Republicans seek to regain the Senate majority and increase membership, his future colleagues must ask themselves, at least for now, whether he will support a dwindling centrist faction that is crucial to deals with Democrats or the hard-line conservative wing that gained in recent elections.

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. And his presence, should he win the November general election in this reliably Republican state, could influence the daily political debates and the heated battle to become the next Republican Senate leader.

“To get to know me, you have to look back at the last seven years. That was a milestone for me: I found what I would call a cross-section of values,” said Curtis.

Curtis might seem to some like a Romney replacement waiting in the wings. A pragmatic conservative who founded the House Conservative Climate Caucus, he has seen his share of intra-party conflict and is no stranger to criticizing former President Donald Trump. Curtis did, after all, win nearly 50% of the vote in a hotly contested three-candidate primary that also included Trump-backed Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs.

But Curtis has already chosen his own path, even though he has already hinted that his voting behavior in the Senate “will be more similar to that of Mike Lee, especially on fiscal issues.”

On the Conservative Political Action Conference's legislative analysis rating scale, he lands almost exactly in the middle between Romney and Lee. Curtis has a conservative rating of 79%, compared to Romney's 62% and Lee's 99%.

“The voters in Utah responded to my line,” Curtis said. “I think there's a false narrative that you either fully support President Trump or you fully oppose him. The reality is … I was happy to support him, but that doesn't mean he has my unconditional vote.”

Curtis did not want to get too involved in the race to replace Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is stepping down next year as the longest-serving Senate leader but will remain in the House. It is currently a three-way battle between two of McConnell's allies, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) and former Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), and conservative Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), who has no chance.

But after witnessing firsthand the “dysfunction” of House Republicans this Congress, Curtis stressed that party unity must be the focus for any successor.

“I'm weighing who can handle the task at hand. And for me, it's primarily about who can unite the various Republican voices into one voice,” he said.

Curtis' victory at the ballot box also made it clear that there is still a way forward for those in the party who believe Republicans should do more to address climate change.

“I can’t help but talk about it,” Curtis said.

Curtis founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021 with the support of dozens of Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives with the goal of reaching younger generations on an issue with growing political influence. He vowed to bring the group's mission of supporting conservative action to slow global temperature rise to the Senate in one form or another.

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“For myself, it's been a journey to find a place to land. And I think I've been able to find a very comfortable place for Republicans to land on climate that doesn't betray their conservative values, but also reduces emissions and recognizes that reducing emissions is important,” Curtis said.

“That will continue to be the focus. I have no doubt about that,” he added. “I'm just not quite sure what form that will take.”