MITTENS ON

Orrin Hatch: Romney ‘Will Have My Support’ If He Runs for Senate

Retiring senator says he did not call Romney before announcing his final decision.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on Wednesday said he hopes Mitt Romney will run for his soon-to-be-vacated Senate seat, adding that the former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential nominee will have his support should he choose to run. “There’s no question that he loves Utah and wants to support Utah anyway he can. And I’m hopeful he'll run, because he would be just fine,” Hatch told Utah’s Morning News radio show. “And he would certainly be somebody who I think could succeed me into the job. We haven't spoken in the last few days, but if Mitt decides to run, he knows he'll have my support.” Hatch added that he did not inform Romney of his final decision before announcing it on Tuesday. Romney is likely to run for Hatch’s seat, a source close to Romney told The Daily Beast on Tuesday.