Orem, Utah – At a CNN townhall at Utah Valley University, U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) urged Americans to lower political tensions and introduced critical social media reforms. Reflecting on the recent shooting of Charlie Kirk and other high-profile attacks, Senator Curtis warned, “If it can happen here in Utah, it can happen anywhere,” calling for the tempering of political tensions from both sides of the aisle.
Curtis focused heavily on the role of social media in driving division and harm, describing how platforms have shifted from connecting friends to weaponizing algorithms for profit. He outlined bipartisan legislation he is working on with Senator Kelly to hold companies liable when their algorithms cause harm, while preserving free speech: “Anybody can still post what they want—but when a company chooses to amplify or suppress content, they should own the consequences.”
On contentious issues like guns and immigration, Senator Curtis demonstrated how to model disagreement without division. He highlighted areas of common ground on gun violence, especially suicide prevention and safe storage, and expressed openness to nuanced tools that keep firearms out of the hands of those in crisis while protecting due process and constitutional rights.
On immigration, he reaffirmed Utah’s long-standing “Utah Compact” principles: “It’s a false narrative that we can’t obey the rule of law and be compassionate at the same time. We can—and we must—keep families together and uphold our values.”
Senator Curtis closed by returning to the theme of trust and community over chaos:
“If you wake up looking for the bad in people, you’ll find it. If you wake up looking for the good, you’ll find that too. . . My commitment is to keep looking for the good, to keep working across the aisle, and to do my part every day to bring this country together.”