It took Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, just a few weeks to make his mark on the Senate — even before he’d actually take the oath of office to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney next year. 

As Senate colleagues and those close to President-elect Donald Trump saw it, Curtis, a senator-elect, was among the group of at least five Republicans who were planning to vote against former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s nomination to lead the Justice Department. 

The opposition was enough to sink Gaetz, who withdrew…