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Former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney finished second at the Utah Republican Convention on Saturday behind State Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Alpine). Romney and Kennedy will now face each other in a primary election, because neither Romney (49.12%) nor Kennedy (50.88%) reached the 60% threshold necessary to secure the party’s nomination automatically.

Mitt Romney did not win the Utah Republican Party's nomination on Saturday, meaning he must compete in a June primary election as he seeks to replace retiring US Sen. Orrin Hatch. After a wild and raucous day of voting at the Utah GOP convention, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee was unable to win the 60% that he needed to head to the November ballot unopposed. When none of the 12 candidates were able to cross that threshold, the party continued with successive rounds of caucus voting until one candidate reached 40%. On the second round of...

Utah Senate hopeful Mitt Romney (R) said Thursday that he is setting his sights on the future, rather than looking back at his past criticism of President Trump. Speaking at a question-and-answer session in Sandy, Utah, on Thursday night, Romney said he was planning to "look forward" on his relationship with Trump, noting that the president has shifted on certain issues. "I look forward. I'm not going to look backward," Romney said, when asked by an audience member if he would criticize Trump in his Senate campaign like he did in a 2016 speech, according to the Deseret News.

SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney became the instant front-runner when he announced his U.S. Senate campaign last week, as a new poll shows him with a commanding lead four days into the race. A Utahpolicy.com poll released Tuesday shows 60 percent of Utahns would vote for the former Massachusetts governor among declared and possible candidates for the office. Only Democratic Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson polled in double digits, with a meager 14 percent. Libertarian Craig Bowden and Rep. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who has not entered the race, fared the best among the rest at 3 percent and...

President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s run for a U.S. Senate seat in Utah, despite Romney often being critical of Trump.

@MittRomney has announced he is running for the Senate from the wonderful State of Utah. He will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement! 9:21 PM - 19 Feb 2018

Mitt Romney, after announcing his Republican bid for Senate in Utah, called for “action” following the Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead. Romney called the shooting “senseless, debased evil.” “I think we can’t just sit and wait and hope for things to get better,” the former GOP presidential candidate said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. “It is wrong and unacceptable for children in our schools to fear for their lives.”

Mitt Romney, the GOP’s presidential candidate in 2012 and a former governor of Massachusetts, announced Friday that he would run for U.S. Senate in Utah. “I have decided to run for United States Senate because I believe I can help bring Utah’s values and Utah’s lessons to Washington,” Romney said in a video announcing his bid. “Given all that America faces, we feel that this is the right time for me to serve our state and our country,” he said. Romney pointed to Utah's balanced budget and trade surplus as examples of the state's strengths, comparing them with Washington's debt...

As a father and grandfather, my heart aches for the victims of today’s tragic events. My prayers go out to all of the families and loved ones affected by this senseless act of violence. (1/2) Out of respect for the victims and their families, I will not be making an announcement tomorrow about the Senate race. (2/2)

Mitt Romney will launch his Utah Senate campaign Thursday morning with a low key announcement on social media, and will make his first public appearance a day later near Salt Lake City with a keynote address to a gathering of grassroots Republicans.

Republican Utah lawmaker Jon Stanard has unexpectedly resigns from the Legislature. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican Utah lawmaker Jon Stanard has unexpectedly resigned from the Legislature. House Speaker Greg Hughes announced Wednesday morning that the representative from St. George resigned Tuesday night "due to personal and family concerns." Hughes did not offer details but said legislators are honoring Stanard's request for privacy and wish him the best. House Chief of Staff Greg Hartley said in a text message that Stanard was not facing any kind of legislative investigation or disciplinary action. Stanard did not respond to a voicemail seeking...

With Sen. John McCain in the twilight of his career, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee sees a coming void in the Trump era. As he's expressed his desire to join the U.S. Senate, Mitt Romney has privately revealed that a driving purpose of his service would be to emulate a former rival and fellow foiled Republican presidential nominee: Sen. John McCain. "There's got to be somebody who can stand up to the president," Romney told members of the Utah congressional delegation in recent weeks, according to a person with knowledge of his comments. "Who's going to stand up to Trump?"

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Orrin Hatch, who's served in the U.S. Senate representing Utah since 1977, announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election in 2018.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is not running for re-election, an announcement which immediately renewed rumors that former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will run for the open seat. His path would be pretty crystal clear, it seems. Mr. Hatch’s decision clears the way for the political resurrection of Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee who is now a Utah resident and is popular in the Mormon-heavy state. Mr. Romney has told associates he would likely run if Mr. Hatch retires.“It would be difficult to defeat Mitt Romney if he were running here,” said...

President Trump’s trip to Utah Monday was ostensibly about eliminating national monument status for two Utah landmarks. But most speculate that the real reason for the trip was a subtle effort to block Mitt Romney from reentering politics. Romney has made noise about a potential run for Senator Orrin Hatch’s seat, should the longtime Utah senator choose not to seek reelection next year. Monday’s presidential visit seemed to turn into a full-on lobbying effort to get Hatch to stay put. Or perhaps more to the point, to get Romney to stay far away from Washington. And Romney was all too...

TRUMP MOVES TO BLOCK ROMNEY FROM SENATE President going all out to persuade 83-year-old Orrin Hatch to seek re-election in Utah Published: 24 mins ago (POLITICO) Donald Trump is going all out to persuade seven-term Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to seek reelection — a push aimed in no small part at keeping the president’s longtime nemesis, Mitt Romney, out of the Senate. Romney has been preparing to run for Hatch’s seat on the long-held assumption that the 83-year-old would retire. Yet Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is now refusing to rule out another campaign — a circumstance Romney’s...

After 42 years, it is time Utah changes up senators. When incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch was elected to his seventh term in 2012, he vowed it would be his last. Recently, however, the 83-year-old told KUTV he will run again—unless his friend Mitt Romney calls him and says he would like to run. Then Hatch would step aside. Here are seven reasons Romney should take Hatch up on that offer. 1. Gives Utah Time to Find a Long-term Solution According to The Salt Lake Tribune, 75 percent of voters said Hatch should not run again. By 2024, he would be...

Alternate headline: “Orrin Hatch must retire.” And there’s a fair chance that he will! He’s 83 and said in March that he’d be more inclined to step down if he could get a “really outstanding person” to run for his seat. When asked if he had anyone in mind, he said “Mitt Romney would be perfect.” That lit the fuse on RomneyWatch 2018, leading to reports that Romney was thinking about it and had even spoken to Mitch McConnell about running. But then in May the speculation seemed to fizzle: Hatch himself claimed that Romney told him he wouldn’t...

Sources tell UtahPolicy.com that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is preparing to run for Senate in 2018 if Sen. Orrin Hatch decides to retire. Sources close to Romney say the two-time presidential candidate will jump into the 2018 Utah Senate scrum if Hatch opts not to. So far, Hatch has not made up his mind as to whether he'll run for an eighth term in 2018. He has previously said he was planning on running as long as his and his wife's health holds up. Dave Hansen, a longtime political advisor to Hatch, told UtahPolicy.com last month that he didn't...