‘Not a Professional Politician’: Son of Late Sen. Orrin Hatch Enters Senate Race to Replace Mitt Romney

Brent Orrin Hatch, the son of late Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), has filed paperwork to enter the Senate race in Utah.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, Brent Hatch announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

"I am not a professional politician," Hatch said in a statement. "I left Washington at an early age. I have worked for over 33 years here in Utah as a lawyer protecting the rights of individuals and companies."

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"But, I still have an insider's knowledge of the highest levels of government from serving Presidents Reagan and Bush in the White House, working with Congress, and in the courts," Brent Hatch wrote, highlighting his previous work, despite having spent many years working in Utah.

The late Sen. Orrin Hatch served as a member of the U.S. Senate for 42 years and was the longest-serving Senator in Utah's history, according to the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.

Over the course of Hatch's time in the Senate, he briefly became president pro tempore in January 2015 and served in that role until his retirement in 2019, according to The New York Times .

The senator from Utah passed away on April 23, 2022, at the age of 88.

"I am prepared to use that knowledge and contacts and my experience fighting as a lawyer for my clients in representing the people of the State of Utah," Brent Hatch added in his statement. "Government cannot continue like it has for the past several years. We must take the budget, inflation, and securing our borders more seriously."

In September 2023, Romney, 76, revealed that he would not be seeking re-election , pointing out that at the end of another term, he'd be in his mid-80s.

Romney was elected to office in November 2018, taking over Orrin Hatch's Senate seat. If Brent Hatch were to win, he would be serving in the same seat his father had served.

Brent Hatch will face other candidates vying for the seat such as former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs and Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird Jr.