Story highlights
Hatch's announcement opens up a path for Romney to run
Twitter page of the ex-Mass. governor was updated to say he is in Utah
So far mum on whether he will make a bid for the Senate from Utah, Mitt Romney’s Twitter account on Tuesday was updated to note he calls the Beehive State home.
Romney was already registered to vote in Utah, and the update on Tuesday made it Twitter official.
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah announced his intention earlier in the day to retire at the end of his current term, and in so doing left open a race to replace him. Romney – a former Massachusetts governor, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a chief conservative critic of President Donald Trump’s demeanor during the 2016 election – is considered a top possible contender.
Some noted earlier Tuesday that Romney’s Twitter page had pinned his location in Massachusetts, and a cache of his profile captured at the end of 2017 showed the same.
Shortly after Hatch’s announcement Tuesday, Romney issued a statement thanking Hatch for serving in the Senate – while leaving his own political future unaddressed – and his account’s location was updated to Holladay, Utah.
Hatch is among the chamber’s longest-serving members, and attention increased on his political future throughout 2017 as rumblings grew that Romney was considering running for the seat if Hatch stepped aside and as Trump indicated he hoped Hatch would run again.