Opportunity in Utah: Mitt Romney eyes political resurgence
By STEVE PEOPLES and BRADY McCOMBS, Associated Press
Jan 3, 2018 2:50 AM CST
FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2016, file photo, Mitt Romney talks with reporters after eating dinner with then President-elect Donald Trump at Jean-Georges restaurant in New York. Romney is considering a new career in Congress. Those who know the 70-year-old former Republican presidential nominee best expect...   (Associated Press)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mitt Romney is considering a new career in Congress.

Those who know the 70-year-old former Republican presidential nominee best expect him to announce plans to seek a suddenly vacant Utah Senate seat. Incumbent Orrin Hatch announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election this fall.

A decision by Romney to run would mark an extraordinary resurgence for a GOP leader who had faded from the spotlight after two failed White House bids and an unsuccessful push to block President Donald Trump's rise. Longtime associates suggest Romney is eager to bring a new moral conscience to the GOP.

Should he run, Romney is not expected to face significant resistance in Utah's GOP primary contest or in the November general election.