Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said he would be open to step aside and not run for re-election in 2018 if a candidate like Mitt Romney were to run for his position in his stead.
In an interview with National Journal, the Republican senator who has been in office since 1976 said he “might very well consider” not campaigning for another term if an “outstanding person” were to run for his position.
Orrin Hatch tells @arogDC he might be willing to retire … if he could hand his seat to Mitt Romney. ($$) https://t.co/sG5lZmnd3R pic.twitter.com/9XL8p0MLVf
— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) March 29, 2017
Asked if he had any people in mind, Hatch replied: “Well, Mitt Romney would be perfect.” He added that he has reached out to Romney about the idea.
In February, Romney declined to rule out a run for a Senate seat in the future.
“I don’t have any predictions on what I might do. I’m not going to open a door and I’m not going to close a door. All doors are open,” Romney said in an interview the Deseret News.
