Utah: Announcement Date

Former presidential nominee and ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) has scheduled an announcement in Salt Lake City for February 15th.  It is highly likely that he will be declaring his candidacy for retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R) seat.  Mr. Romney will immediately become the prohibitive favorite to capture the seat, and it’s unlikely he will draw major opposition. 
 
Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson (D) entered the race to challenge Sen. Hatch, but it is believed she will remain a candidate even if facing Mr. Romney.  An early poll found Mr. Romney crushing her by better than a 3:1 margin.  Though he is not expected to face major Republican opposition, it appears that a Romney for Senate Campaign will petition onto the ballot and bypass the Republican State Party nominating convention, thus ensuring that no base challenger can whip up enough support among delegates to cause him political embarrassment.

--Jim Ellis