Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is planning to run for Senate in Utah, according to a Thursday report from The Atlantic.
Sen. Orrin Hatch has served in the Senate since 1977, and originally planned to step down after 2018, but after Republicans lost two seats in the Senate during the 2016 elections, he asserted he would most likely run again.
“If I could get a really outstanding person to run for my position, I might very well consider [retiring],” Hatch told the National Journal last week, adding, “Mitt Romney would be perfect.”
Romney spent several weeks discussing a potential run with Republicans in Utah and Washington, telling friends he was interested in running for Senate, six sources told The Atlantic.
Romney stressed that he wouldn’t run unless he had explicit approval from Hatch, and the senior senator appeared to grant it, but after his comments made the news last week, Hatch staffers asserted that no final decision had been made.
Romney has had statewide success in Utah. During his bid for the White House in 2012, he won the state in the primary with 93 percent of the vote, and dominated former President Barack Obama with 72.62 percent.
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