Republican Senator Orrin Hatch announced on Tuesday his intention not to seek re-election in November, which leaves open the possibility of Mitt Romney becoming a senator in his place.
“Every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching. That’s why after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term,” Hatch said in a video.
Hatch, who is currently the oldest Republican senator, was first elected in 1976 and serves as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Last month, President Donald Trump praised him for helping pass the sweeping tax overhaul in Congress.
There is speculation that the 2012 Republican presidential candidate and harsh critic of the president, Romney, would run for the Senate seat and replace him. Romney applauded Hatch for his service but did not make any mention of him entering the Senate race in Utah.
According to a close adviser of Romney’s he is likely to decide to run for the Senate seat after Hatch retires. He added that Romney would soon make the final decision on whether to enter the Senate race in the Republican-leaning state.
Republican strategist Joe Brettell said that should Romney opt to do so, he would be the front-runner in the race.
“Romney’s name ID, fund-raising network and business acumen will immediately vault him to the top of the Senate GOP list. The question is whether he can happily weather a body currently known more for partisan rancor than the Mr. Fixit role he’s played all his life,” Brettell said.
President Trump congratulated Hatch on his “absolutely incredible career” saying that he will be “greatly missed” in the upper chamber, Reuters reports. Last month, he also said that he would like to see Hatch run for another six years in the Senate, in a blow to his harshest GOP critic, Romney.
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