Mitt Romney on Saturday was unable to secure the Utah Republican Party’s nomination to run unopposed for the U.S. Senate seat belonging to retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee fell short of the required 60 percent of votes, earning only 49 percent, according to CNN. Romney, who got a ringing endorsement from his on-again, off-again foe President Trump in February, will now have to square off against 11 other contenders in a June primary. He said he’s looking forward to it, however. “ This is terrific for the people of Utah, and I really want to thank the delegates who stayed so late to give me the kind of boost that I got here today,” he said late Saturday. “We're going to have a good primary.”
