Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.) has privately told friends he plans to retire at the end of his term next year, and if he does, Mitt Romney will run for his seat, according to a new report.
Sources close to Hatch and Romney told The Atlantic‘s McKay Coppins that plans are already in motion for Hatch to retire and for Romney to run. Utah’s World Trade Center CEO Derek Miller said Romney’s plan to seek the Senate seat was a “done deal”:
They spoke on condition of anonymity, because the plans are not yet public, and the subject is sensitive to Hatch. Already, though, the expected developments are reshaping the state’s political landscape.
Derek Miller, the CEO of Utah’s World Trade Center who said he was exploring a bid for the seat earlier this year, said the plan for Romney to run had been “reported to me as a ‘done deal.’” He added, “if Romney runs, I will fully support him.”
Read more at The Washington Free Beacon.
