Why John Curtis thinks politicians need to get out of their comfort zone more

As a kid, John Curtis’ mother had the same question for him each time he returned from a ski outing: “Did you fall?”

The reason, the Republican congressman told a room full of University of Utah students on Thursday, was because “if you didn’t fall, you’re not learning.” Those falls helped him become a better skier, but Curtis — who has represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District since 2017 and is now vying to be the state’s next U.S. Senator — said the same ability to fail doesn’t exist in politics, and he thinks it’s leading to worse outcomes for governing.

Curtis spoke at the Sutherland Institute’s annual series of discussions with Utah’s federal delegation Thursday. He picked the title “Reinventing the wheel — but this time, let’s try a square” for his forum with Jason Perry, the director of the university’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.