Romney For Senate? Speculation Grows As Utah's Hatch Announces Retirement
WASHINGTON (CBS) – Mitt Romney failed in his bids to capture the White House in 2008 and 2012, but now there is a new opportunity for the former Massachusetts governor to make it to Washington D.C.
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, 83, announced Tuesday that he is retiring instead of running for an eighth term in the Senate this year.
Keller @ Large: Could Romney Be Trump's Worst Nightmare?
The news has many on Twitter speculating that Romney will jump into the race. A recent poll showed Romney would easily win in November.
Breaking News: Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving GOP senator, plans to retire. His exit leaves an opening in Utah for Mitt Romney, a top Trump critic. https://t.co/JOfJKDGBq0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 2, 2018
This could very well open the door for Romney (which would likely be to the White House's chagrin) https://t.co/Vk59HImtXp
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) January 2, 2018
Romney issued a statement Tuesday praising Hatch for his service, but gave no hint as to his future plans.
How President Donald Trump would react to a Romney candidacy is unclear. Romney frequently spoke out against Trump during the 2016 campaign, and called on the president to apologize for his inflammatory remarks about a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.