--- title: Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15 description: The Republican has continued his criticism of Trump over the last year canonical: https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-02T00:53:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:56:04.813Z article:section: Politics og:title: Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15 og:description: The Republican has continued his criticism of Trump over the last year og:url: https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7229ddc869581c92/6988fa4e096a949cf66a1536/mitt-romney-republican-utah-senate-race-announcement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3666 og:image:height: 2062 og:image:alt: Mitt Romney Addresses Silicon Slopes Summit In Salt Lake City og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15 twitter:description: The Republican has continued his criticism of Trump over the last year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7229ddc869581c92/6988fa4e096a949cf66a1536/mitt-romney-republican-utah-senate-race-announcement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d2ea975-1506-4033-8247-a289230e3886&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Orrin Hatch Announces He Will Retire From the Senate Despite President Trump's Pleas [Watch (HLS stream): Orrin Hatch Announces He Will Retire From the Senate Despite President Trump's Pleas](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LjtdrOkN.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2018-01-02. Orrin Hatch, The Longest-Serving GOP Senator, Will Retire_ by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Feb 2, 2018 12:53 AM UTC Orrin Hatch, The Longest-Serving GOP Senator, Will Retire by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Feb 2, 2018 12:53 AM UTC Mitt Romney took another step toward running for a U.S. Senate seat from Utah when he tweeted on Thursday about an upcoming announcement regarding the 2018 race. Utah’s Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, announced in January that he would [retire at the end of the year](http://time.com/5084701/orrin-hatch-retire-mitt-romney/?iid=sr-link5), a move many saw as clearing the way for Romney to seek his seat. “Looking forward to making an announcement on February 15th about the Utah Senate race,” he tweeted, including a link to his website. > [](https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/959154548693544961) Rumors have swirled for months that Romney might run to represent Utah, where he is extremely popular. So far the former Massachusetts governor has not spoken publicly about specific political ambitions for 2018, but [CNN reports](https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/politics/mitt-romney-senate-announcement/index.html) that he is planning to formally announce his bid for Hatch’s Senate seat later this month. This pre-announcement alert on Twitter also allows Romney to begin courting delegates whose support he may need at Utah’s Republican Party nominating convention, according to the network. After losing the 2012 presidential race to Barack Obama, Romney established [permanent residency](http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58472930&itype=CMSID) in Utah in 2014\. Since President Donald Trump entered the 2016 presidential race, Romney has been a fierce critic and [gave a speech in March of 2016](http://time.com/4246596/donald-trump-mitt-romney-utah-speech/) calling Trump a “phony” and a “fraud.” When Trump won the 2016 election, he publicly considered giving Romney the role of [secretary of state](http://time.com/4813499/mitt-romney-hillary-clinton-secretary-of-state/), but ultimately offered the job to Rex Tillerson. Since then, Romney has returned to his criticism of Trump, calling on the President to apologize after his [response to the Charlottesville protests](http://time.com/4906506/mitt-romney-president-trump-charlottesville/?iid=sr-link6) last fall and declaring Alabama Republican Roy Moore a [“stain on the GOP”](http://time.com/5049202/roy-moore-mitt-romney-donald-trump/?iid=sr-link9) despite Trump’s steadfast support for the candidate. While Utah is typically a conservative state, [21% of its voters](https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/utah) went for independent candidate Evan McMullan during the 2016 presidential election rather than siding with Trump, who got 45% of the vote. In contrast, Romney pulled [in nearly 73%](https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/results/states/utah.html) of the state’s voters when he was running for president. This pattern, along with Romney’s popularity there, will likely mean that voters are receptive to Romney’s continued critiques of Trump if he does run in 2018. ## Transcript My fellow Utahns. For over 40 years, I've had the great honor of serving as your senator. As many of you know, I came up during the great depression, living in a ramshackle house built with recycled lumber from the local scrap yard. My parents gave us everything they had, but in the eyes of the world, we still didn't have much. Only in a nation like ours, can someone like me, a scrappy son of a simple carpenter grow up to become a United States Senator. As your senator I've always thought to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And I believe the results speak for themselves. I've offered more bills that have become law than any member of the congress alive today. I played a central role in the creation of the modern generic drug industry. The passage of the landmark American's with Disabilities Act. And the confirmation of every current member of the United States Supreme Court. Just last month I helped lead the effort to pass historic comprehensive tax reform. One of my proudest legislative achievements is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which guarantees the Federalists religious liberty protections for all Americans. When the president visited Utah last month, he said I was a fighter. I've always been a fighter. I was an amateur boxer in my youth and I've brought that fighting spirit with me to Washington. But 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. Although I will miss serving you in senate I look forward spending more time with my family, especially my sweet wife Elaine whose unwavering love and support made all of this possible. I am deeply grateful for the privilege you have given me to serve you as your senator these last four decades. I maybe leaving senate For the next chapter in my public service is just beginning. I want to thank you all for your support through these many years. May God bless you all. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/"},"headline":"Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15","datePublished":"2018-02-02T00:53:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T08:56:04.813Z","description":"The Republican has continued his criticism of Trump over the last year","url":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/","keywords":["mitt romney","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7229ddc869581c92/6988fa4e096a949cf66a1536/mitt-romney-republican-utah-senate-race-announcement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abigail Abrams","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7229ddc869581c92/6988fa4e096a949cf66a1536/mitt-romney-republican-utah-senate-race-announcement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mitt Romney Addresses Silicon Slopes Summit In Salt Lake City","caption":"Mitt Romney Addresses Silicon Slopes Summit In Salt Lake City","creditText":"George Frey—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mitt-romney/","name":"mitt romney"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/","name":"Mitt Romney to Make Utah Senate Race Announcement on Feb. 15"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Orrin Hatch Announces He Will Retire From the Senate Despite President Trump's Pleas","description":"Orrin Hatch, The Longest-Serving GOP Senator, Will Retire","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/LjtdrOkN/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-01-02T19:14:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LjtdrOkN.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/","duration":"PT2M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5129796/mitt-romney-utah-senate-announcement-orrin-hatch/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```