Update: Romney has announced he won’t make an announcement on Thursday due to the tragic school shooting in Florida.
Romney made his announcement on Twitter:
As a father and grandfather, my heart aches for the victims of today’s tragic events. My prayers go out to all of the families and loved ones affected by this senseless act of violence. (1/2)
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 15, 2018
Original article
In news that will shock absolutely no one, former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney will announce his candidacy for Utah’s U.S. Senate seat on Thursday.
Instead of a traditional speech, Romney will start his campaign with a video message on his website mittromney.com according to NBC News, who cited sources close to the former Massachusetts governor.
Romney tweeted that he would be making an announcement about the Senate race nearly two weeks ago. His FB page has a similar post from Monday.
UtahPolicy.com has been reporting that Romney was considering a run to replace Sen. Orrin Hatch since last spring. Hatch announced he was retiring rather than run for an eighth term earlier this year.
Romney is expected to take the signature-gathering route to the ballot, but it’s unclear whether he’ll also pursue the GOP nomination through the caucus/convention system as well.
Romney is expected to cruise to victory in November. A UtahPolicy.com survey from November found Romney would sprint past likely Democratic nominee Jenny Wilson by 51-points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.
Five other Republicans have declared they are also pursuing the GOP nomination to replace Hatch, and Rep. Dan McCay is also reportedly considering a run. Democrats Jenny Wilson and Mitchell Vice are also in the race as is Libertarian Craig Bowden.
