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Friday, October 27, 2017

Hatch Leaving?

Today's rumor in Washington is that Orrin Hatch is retiring.  The second part of the rumor is that Mitt Romney is going to run to replace him.  Others say that Evan McMullin is also running for the seat.

Hatch has been in the senate for over 40 years.  He's 83 now and would be 84 on election day next year.  If he's retiring, as rumored, it's a good decision.

The other day, I discussed the possibility of Hatch retiring with a friend who speculated that this could lead to the Democrats taking this seat.  That, of course, is crazy.  Utah is about as Republican as a state can be, and there are no credible Democrats to run for the seat.  If Romney runs for the seat, it is hard to imagine his losing to anyone.  He has all the money he needs to finance a run, major name recognition, and on top of that he's a Mormon which gives him a major leg up in Utah.  Romney's only problem is that he is on the outs with President Trump, but my guess is that their differences can be easily papered over should Romney actually run.

Mitt wasn't the greatest presidential candidate.  He let Obama get away with all sorts of things without confronting him on them.  The worst moment came in the foreign policy debate in 2012 when he could have destroyed Obama with Benghazi and instead let Obama lie his way out of the situation.  Nevertheless, Romney could well make a very good senator.

On the other hand, I would also like to see Congresswoman Love try for this seat if Romney doesn't.  She is extremely bright and would make a great addition to the senate.  I actually would rather see her in the seat than Mitt Romney, but that's a race I doubt she could win.

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