Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has privately confirmed his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, according to a report.
Romney friend and business leader Kem Gardner told Utah Gov. Gary Herbert he had received a text message from Romney saying, “I’m running,” per a New York Times article published Sunday.
Romney has not publicly stated whether he will pursue the Senate seat held by Hatch for more than 40 years, but he did change his Twitter account earlier in 2018 to say he lives in Utah, not Massachusetts.
Hatch announced on Jan. 2 he would not seek re-election at the end of his seventh term in office.
A day later, he said he would endorse Romney’s bid to replace him should he launch a campaign.
Despite Romney being an outspoken critic of President Trump, Trump reportedly phoned the 2012 Republican presidential nominee on Jan. 4 to encourage him to contest Hatch’s seat.
While verifying that a call took place, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley did not disclose the contents of their conversation.
