CALLING IT QUITS

Senator Orrin Hatch Announces Retirement

Decision could put Mitt Romney to Congress.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to likely run for his seat. “Every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching,” Hatch, the president pro tempore of the Senate, said in a video posted to Twitter. “That’s why after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term.” Hatch, 83, is in his seventh term and is the longest-serving GOP senator. Romney has reportedly told associates for months that he would run for Hatch's seat in the event of retirement. President Donald Trump tried to coax Hatch into running for another term to keep Romney, one of his strongest critics, out of politics.