Mitt Romney to Run for U.S. Senate

Reports indicate that Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate, will launch his campaign for the Senate on Thursday, February 15. Mr. Romney will represent the state of Utah in the Senate elections. The Associated Press confirmed this news on Wednesday, citing sources close to Mr. Romney. Current Republican Senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch, has announced that he will not seek re-election. The 70-year-old Romney was previously the governor of Massachusetts before running for the presidency in 2012. As a follower of the Mormon faith, he has a significant following in Utah. Mr. Romney was a critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. Sources close to him have stated that he will not seek direct confrontation with Donald Trump in his campaign and will focus on priorities for the state of Utah. After losing the presidential election in 2012, Romney moved to Utah and settled there. He is both a wealthy individual and has a strong network of powerful financial supporters. In 2016, he criticized Donald Trump, calling him a "fraud" who "played the American people for fools" and deemed him "unfit" for the presidency. After Trump’s election victory, Romney moderated his criticisms. It was even reported that he was a candidate for Secretary of State and had dinner with Trump. Last year, Romney criticized Trump again, to which Trump responded by referencing Romney's losses in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Observers believe that Romney faces no significant obstacles in his Senate campaign. Even conservatives in Utah, who consider him too moderate for the Republican Party, respect him and are not willing to politically challenge him. Orrin Hatch, the current senator from Utah, announced that he will not run for the Senate after over four decades in the Senate, and he considered Romney a suitable successor.