Hatch faces Tea Party showdown in primary

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, failed to avoid a primary election today, as Tea Party rival Dan Liljenquist received enough support at the state party convention to force an election.

“We have the results, there will be a primary election,” said Utah’s GOP chairman, Thomas Wright. Dan Liljenquist received 1595 votes from the convention attendees — 40.81 percent — to Hatch’s 2313 votes (59.19 percent) on the second and final ballot. Hatch received 57 percent support on the first ballot.