Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, may run for Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch’s seat if the longtime senator decides to retire, according to a report.
Hatch, who is in his seventh term, hasn’t yet decided if he’ll run for re-election in 2018. But sources told UtahPolicy.com that if he doesn’t, Romney is planning to run for his Senate seat.
Last month, Dave Hansen, a political adviser to the Republican senator, told UtahPolicy.com that Hatch would decide if he will run again by October, but that timeline has been pushed back to December, sources told the news organization.
Hatch said in March he may not seek re-election if an “outstanding person” such as Romney were to run for his Senate seat.
“If I could get a really outstanding person to run for my position, I might very well consider [retiring],” Hatch told National Journal. “Mitt Romney would be perfect.”
The Atlantic reported in April that Romney has been discussing a Senate bid with Republicans in Utah and Washington.
Romney, who owns a house near Salt Lake City, served as the Republican governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, and ran for president in 2008 and 2012, when he earned the Republican nomination.
